What were the outcomes of lawsuits filed against Donald Trump by sexual assault accusers?
Executive summary
Multiple civil suits brought by women accusing Donald Trump of sexual misconduct produced mixed legal outcomes: the most consequential were E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuits, which resulted in multi‑million dollar judgments that were later the subject of appeals and partial affirmations; other high‑profile claims have been dismissed, withdrawn or settled without similar public findings of liability [1] [2] [3].
1. E. Jean Carroll: two suits, large monetary awards, and appeals
Author and columnist E. Jean Carroll filed two related civil suits against Donald Trump — initially for defamation in 2019 and later adding a sexual‑assault (battery) claim under New York’s Adult Survivors Act — and juries awarded her substantial damages: a federal jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and ordered $5 million in May 2023, and a separate verdict awarded roughly $83.3 million for defamation, giving Carroll total awards reported as about $88.3 million across the cases [4] [5] [1].
2. Appeals and appellate rulings: portions upheld
Trump appealed rulings and evidentiary decisions from Carroll’s trials; in December 2024 a three‑judge panel of the Second Circuit court of appeals affirmed the $5 million judgment, rejecting arguments that trial errors warranted reversal and finding that any claimed errors did not affect Trump’s substantial rights [2] [6] [7]. Reporting indicates additional appeals over other awards continued, and coverage at times noted that decisions remained subject to further appellate review when first issued [1] [8].
3. Other lawsuits: dismissals, withdrawals, and settlements
Beyond Carroll, several other lawsuits tied to accusations were dismissed, withdrawn or settled without public large‑scale jury findings against Trump; for example, a case involving a plaintiff using the pseudonym “Katie Johnson” accusing Trump and Jeffrey Epstein of assault in the 1990s was dismissed, and related filings were later withdrawn or refiled before ultimately failing to yield a judgment [3] [9]. Media reporting and court records also show at least one claim that was resolved by settlement of a separate business dispute and withdrawn, while the accuser continued to assert she had been assaulted — demonstrating how civil litigation can end in non‑adjudicative resolutions [3].
4. The landscape: many public accusations, few civil verdicts
Dozens of women have publicly accused Trump of harassment, groping or assault over decades, and some filed civil suits or defamation actions; however, the number of these cases that reached a jury verdict imposing liability has been limited, with E. Jean Carroll’s cases the most prominent that produced sustained monetary awards in court [10] [1]. Reporting and court summaries underscore that many allegations were reported in the media but did not always translate into successful, adjudicated civil claims — due to statutes of limitations, evidentiary hurdles, strategic withdrawals, or settlements [8] [3].
5. Political context, evidentiary issues and competing narratives
Coverage of these lawsuits has been highly politicized, with Trump and his lawyers framing the suits as politically motivated and accusing accusers of opportunism, while plaintiffs and their counsel have emphasized accountability and harm to reputation; appellate opinions addressing admissibility of other‑acts evidence (including the Access Hollywood tape and testimony from other accusers) illustrate contested legal issues that can shape outcomes in high‑profile sexual‑misconduct cases [6] [7]. Journalistic and legal sources note both the strength of Carroll’s procedural posture aided by New York’s temporary law change and the broader limits of media reporting to fully capture settled or withdrawn claims, meaning some factual questions remain outside public record [1] [3].