What are the timelines and key dates for each accusation against Trump involving minors, including when they were first reported and any legal filings?
Executive summary
Three distinct strands anchor public accusations that Donald Trump was involved with minors: anonymous “Jane Doe” federal civil suits first reported in 2016 claiming rape when the plaintiff was 13; a separate April 2016 California complaint filed under the pseudonym “Katie Johnson” alleging rape at age 13; and later uncorroborated tips and summaries in the Jeffrey Epstein-related file releases that include similar claims — each has a complex record of filings, dismissals, re-filings and credibility caveats in reporting [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. Jane Doe federal suit: initial filing, voluntary dismissal, and refile (mid–2016 to Sept. 2016)
A federal lawsuit brought by an anonymous plaintiff using the name Jane Doe alleging she was raped at age 13 in 1994 was filed in 2016, then voluntarily dismissed and later refiled in Manhattan federal court; reporting shows the refiled complaint restated the earlier claims and included a witness declaration (Tiffany Doe) alleging observation of multiple sexual encounters involving minors and named Jeffrey Epstein alongside Trump, with the refile reported on Sept. 30, 2016 [1] [2].
2. Court scheduling, dismissal and withdrawal: December 2016 and immediate fallout
Courts had tentatively scheduled dates related to the Jane Doe filings and the plaintiff’s attorneys filed a one‑page voluntary dismissal in New York in early November 2016 after earlier filings; news coverage noted that a tentative court date of Dec. 16 had been set before the dismissal and that the complaint alleged assaults at Epstein properties and parties [1].
3. The parallel “Katie Johnson” filing in California (April 2016) and technical dismissals
An anonymous suit using the pseudonym “Katie Johnson” was filed in California in April 2016 accusing Trump and Epstein of forcibly raping her when she was 13; that California complaint was dismissed for technical errors, and — as coverage in multiple outlets noted — investigations linked the suits to a controversial figure, Norm Lubow, while the specifics of the dismissal and the reasons for dropping parallel filings were widely reported [3] [1].
4. Witness declarations and corroboration claims (Tiffany Doe) and media advocacy reporting
Advocacy and law‑firm accounts, and court filings referenced a witness styled as Tiffany Doe who swore under penalty of perjury to observing abuse and alleged threats by Epstein; these declarations were included in refiled complaints and public write‑ups from legal advocates urged media attention to the filings, but mainstream outlets treated the material cautiously pending verification [2] [5].
5. Epstein file tips and 2025–2026 document productions: new postings, deletions and credibility flags
Large DOJ and FBI productions tied to Epstein material released millions of pages and tips, some of which compiled uncorroborated allegations that Trump had sexual encounters with underage girls; outlets reported that some documents contained tips claiming a 13–14‑year‑old was forced to perform oral sex on Trump and that DOJ warned the production “may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos,” with parts of the release later removed and reuploaded amid controversy in late 2025 and January 2026 reporting [4] [6].
6. Fact checks, official criminal charges and evidentiary limits
Fact‑checking organizations and major news outlets have emphasized that, despite the existence of civil complaints and tips, there were no credible criminal child‑molestation charges filed against Trump as of mid‑2024 reporting, and the Reuters fact check specifically found no credible news reports of child molestation charges against him while cataloguing other pending legal matters [7]. Sources reporting the civil filings and tips also consistently note that many of the allegations remained uncorroborated, some suits were dismissed on procedural grounds, and some tips were deemed not credible by investigators [1] [2] [4].
7. How the timeline reads when assembled: filings, dismissals, refiled complaints, and later tips
Assembling the record: multiple anonymous civil complaints alleging rape when the plaintiff was 13 were filed in spring–summer 2016, one or more were dismissed and then at least one was refiled and reported in September 2016 with witness declarations; a voluntary dismissal was filed in November 2016 with a tentative December date noted; the April 2016 California “Katie Johnson” suit was dismissed for technical errors; years later, voluminous Epstein‑related document releases and public tips in late 2025–January 2026 included similar allegations but were published with DOJ caveats about unvetted material and with reporters noting deletions and credibility problems [1] [2] [3] [4] [6] [7].
Conclusion: public records and reporting establish a sequence of anonymous civil complaints in 2016 (initial filings, dismissals, a refile) plus later unverified tips in Epstein‑related releases, but major fact checks and press accounts repeatedly underline that no criminal child‑molestation indictment tied to Trump had been credibly reported in mainstream sources as of the cited coverage, and many of the filings were procedurally dismissed or flagged as uncorroborated [2] [1] [7] [4].