Which accusations against Donald Trump resulted in civil or criminal judgments, and what were the legal findings?
Executive summary
Three high-profile matters produced final or affirmed legal judgments against Donald J. Trump: a criminal conviction in Manhattan for falsifying business records tied to hush‑money payments that resulted in a judgment of guilt (with the sentencing judge imposing an unconditional discharge), a state civil fraud trial in New York that produced sweeping liability findings and a multihundred‑million‑dollar penalty ordered by a judge (now appealed), and civil juries that found Trump liable to E. Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation with damages affirmed on appeal [1] [2] [3]. Other civil penalties and settlements exist in the record, and multiple judgments remain on appeal or subject to further court review [4] [5].
1. Criminal conviction in Manhattan: falsified business records and the judge’s disposition
Manhattan prosecutors secured a criminal conviction in May 2024 for falsifying business records tied to payments made to a porn actor; a jury found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts, and the presiding judge later sentenced him in a way that placed a judgment of guilt on his permanent record while imposing no jail time, fine, or probation by issuing an unconditional discharge — a disposition Reuters described as leaving a conviction on the record without additional penalties [1].
2. New York civil fraud ruling: expansive liability, heavy penalty, and ongoing appeal
In a separate state civil case, New York Judge Arthur Engoron found that Trump and related entities committed fraud by inflating asset values on financial statements, a ruling that led to a judgment ordering Trump to pay roughly $454 million and imposed other remedies including corporate restrictions; that judgment has been appealed and Trump posted a bond to stay collection while contesting the rulings as “erroneous” and barred by statute‑of‑limitations arguments [2] [6]. Reporting shows the state sought remedies including potential receivership and that appellate courts have since reviewed some elements of the penalties, with judges calling portions “excessive” in later appeals reporting, underscoring that parts of the civil punishments are still in flux [2] [3].
3. E. Jean Carroll civil judgments: sexual‑abuse and defamation findings and affirmed damages
A New York jury found that Trump sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and later defamed her; a federal appeals panel affirmed a $5 million judgment against him for the abuse and defamation, and another later award — reported at $83.3 million for subsequent defamation claims — was the subject of ongoing appeals, with Trump seeking Supreme Court review on issues such as evidentiary rulings [3] [7] [5]. Carroll’s lawyers and the record emphasize the jury’s factual findings about the abuse and the defamation verdicts that produced the compensatory and punitive awards [7] [3].
4. Other civil penalties, consent judgments, and unresolved federal matters
Beyond New York, the public record includes other civil judgments and consent decrees in which Trump or his entities agreed to pay penalties; a Department of Justice final judgment document reflects a $750,000 civil penalty in a separate antitrust‑related matter entered by consent, showing how civil liability has arisen across different legal theaters [4]. At the same time, numerous high‑profile civil claims — including those tied to Jan. 6 litigation and voting‑related suits — remain subject to litigation over immunity and appellate review, and some civil claims have survived executive clemency moves and other political actions, meaning the broader civil docket is not fully settled [8] [9].
5. Where the rulings stand now and what they mean legally
Taken together, courts have produced both criminal and civil judgments finding wrongdoing by Trump in distinct contexts: a criminal conviction for falsifying records (with an unusual unconditional discharge at sentencing), a state civil fraud ruling with very large monetary and structural penalties under appeal, and affirmed civil jury findings against him for sexual abuse and defamation with multimillion‑dollar damage awards — while multiple other cases and penalties are either consented, on appeal, or actively litigated, leaving the final legal landscape unsettled in key respects [1] [2] [3] [4]. Reporting limitations mean this summary cannot account for rulings issued after the cited coverage or for sealed docket activity not reflected in the sources provided.