Did Serge Kovaleski file a lawsuit over Trump's alleged mocking?

1. What happened onstage: the incident in plain terms

At a November 2015 campaign rally Trump described a Washington Post story and then gestured with flailing arms while saying “the poor guy,” an action widely reported as an imitation of New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, who has arthrogryposis; multiple mainstream outlets captured the moment and described the gesture as mocking Kovaleski’s disability ^{[1] [2] [4]}.

2. Immediate reactions: media, colleagues and the candidate

News organizations and colleagues denounced the gesture; The New York Times called it “outrageous,” peers defended Kovaleski’s reporting and character, and commentators framed the act as bullying toward people with disabilities ^{[1] [5] [2] [4]}. Trump issued statements denying he was mocking Kovaleski’s disability, insisting he did not know Kovaleski and characterizing his performance as mimicking a flustered reporter, not a physical condition ^{[6] [3] [4]}.

3. Kovaleski’s background and why the gesture resonated

Kovaleski has a congenital condition, arthrogryposis, that limits movement in his right arm and hand — a fact outlets repeatedly noted when describing why the imitation drew condemnation ^{[1] [7] [2]}. He had previously reported on Trump in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and both Kovaleski and colleagues said they had met Trump in that earlier period, which complicated Trump’s later claim of not recognizing him ^{[1] [7]}.

4. How Trump explained himself and how outlets checked the claim

Trump’s responses included denials — “I have no idea who this reporter… is” — and a demand that The New York Times apologize, while fact-checking and reporting on the encounter emphasized the video and contemporaneous reporting that contradicted Trump’s stated unfamiliarity ^{[6] [5] [3]}. News organizations presented both the recorded gesture and Trump’s denial, leaving readers to weigh the visual record against his explanations ^{[1] [8]}.

5. Lawsuit question: what the available reporting says

Among the provided sources, coverage documents the incident, reactions, and denials but does not report any lawsuit filed by Serge Kovaleski against Donald Trump over the mockery. Fact-focused outlets and summaries recount public statements and criticism but make no mention of legal action initiated by Kovaleski in response ^{[1] [5] [2] [4]}. Therefore: not found in current reporting.

6. Legal and practical context: why a lawsuit is not the only path

The sources emphasize public condemnation, media scrutiny and political fallout rather than legal remedies; commentators and disability-rights advocates framed the episode as a matter of civic discourse and policy impact rather than an obvious candidate for civil litigation, which may explain the absence of reporting about a suit ^{[9] [5]}. Available sources do not detail whether Kovaleski or his employers considered or discussed legal options after the incident (not found in current reporting).

7. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas in the coverage

Coverage split between straightforward description of the video and analyses that treated the episode as emblematic of broader patterns of behavior. Advocacy pieces framed the incident as symptomatic of harmful attitudes toward disability ^[9]. Trump’s camp focused on casting doubt on Kovaleski’s memory and on promoting alternative explanations; mainstream news outlets presented the visual evidence and the denials side-by-side ^{[3] [4]}.

8. Limitations and what remains unresolved

This analysis relies solely on the provided sources; they document the rally, responses, and denials but do not report any lawsuit by Kovaleski. If you want confirmation beyond these items — for example, court filings, statements from Kovaleski’s lawyers, or later reporting — those details are not present in the current set and would require consultation of additional sources (not found in current reporting).