What are the verified legal outcomes of sexual-misconduct cases involving Donald Trump?

1. The landmark Carroll verdict: what was proven and what the jury awarded

In May 2023 a New York jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll in the mid‑1990s and also liable for defaming her in 2022, and jurors awarded Carroll $5 million in total damages — including $2 million in compensatory damages for the sexual‑battery finding — a civil outcome that the press and courts have repeatedly cited as the principal legal adjudication on a sexual‑misconduct claim against him ^{[1] [2] [6]}.

2. Appeals and post‑trial rulings: partial upholds and continued litigation

Trump appealed the Carroll rulings; an appellate court in late 2024 upheld the jury’s finding and the $5 million civil award in that case, and courts found the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting testimony and other evidence under federal rules permitting evidence of similar sexual assaults in such claims ^{[3] [7]}.

3. Broader Carroll litigation and reported larger damages figures

Separate filings and related lawsuits tied to Carroll have produced additional damage awards and litigation activity reported in public sources: aggregated reporting and some summaries have referenced higher cumulative damages figures (for example reporting total awards in the tens of millions), and later press accounts have described appellate rulings upholding multi‑million dollar penalties tied to Carroll matters — reporting that must be read as follow‑on developments to the initial $5 million jury verdict ^{[4] [8]}.

4. Other civil suits, settlements, and withdrawn claims

Other civil matters tied to sexual‑misconduct allegations have ended in settlement, dismissal, or withdrawal: businesswoman Jill Harth sued in 1997 and later settled a breach‑of‑contract claim while forfeiting her sexual‑harassment claim; former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos brought a claim and later withdrew a related defamation action in 2021; and Ivana Trump’s 1990 divorce included an allegation she later recanted — all outcomes reported in contemporary coverage summarizing litigation history rather than trial findings ^[5].

5. Criminal charges, statute‑of‑limitations barriers, and dismissed filings

No criminal prosecution has resulted from the Carroll allegation because the statute of limitations had long expired; reporting on the May 2023 verdict noted that criminal charges were not possible for the alleged 1990s conduct for that reason ^[2]. Other civil complaints alleging sexual abuse have been dismissed when courts found the pleadings did not state valid federal claims, as in at least one 2016 federal filing that was dismissed in short order ^[9].

6. What is verified versus what remains allegation or unproven claim

What is legally verified in the public record is the civil liability and damage award in Carroll’s case and the subsequent appellate rulings that have maintained aspects of that judgment; many other allegations remain unadjudicated, were settled without an admission of liability, were withdrawn, or were dismissed — facts that media summaries and lists of accusers plainly separate from court findings ^{[1] [4] [5] [10]}. Court opinions in the Carroll litigation also show courts admitted other witnesses’ testimony and contemporaneous recordings under rules allowing propensity evidence in sexual‑assault civil cases, a legal basis that contributed to the jury’s ability to consider pattern evidence ^{[7] [11]}.

7. Reading the record: limits, context and competing narratives

Public reporting and court documents establish a clear, narrow legal record: a civil jury verdict finding Trump liable to E. Jean Carroll with monetary damages and ensuing appeals and related motions; beyond that record there are numerous allegations — some litigated to settlement or dismissal, many never litigated to a determination — and readers should distinguish jury findings and appellate decisions from unadjudicated accusations or media‑reported tips ^{[2] [5] [12]}.