Fact check: How much has Donald J. Trump paid in settlement agreements related to sexual misconduct allegations (itemized by year and case)?

Executive Summary

Donald J. Trump’s recorded payments tied to sexual‑misconduct allegations consist primarily of court judgments and reported hush‑money disbursements rather than a clear, itemized set of settlement payments by year and case; the most concrete figures are the E. Jean Carroll jury awards ($5 million and later $83.3 million) and reported payments related to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal that were handled through intermediaries, not publicly disclosed direct settlements. Multiple reporting projects and litigation trackers confirm several settled or dismissed claims with undisclosed terms (including Summer Zervos and Jill Harth), leaving no authoritative public ledger that itemizes yearly settlement payouts by case. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

1. Court Judgments vs. Settlements — Why the Numbers Don’t Add Up

Public records show two large, adjudicated awards in the E. Jean Carroll matters: a New York jury’s May 2023 finding that awarded roughly $5 million for sexual abuse and defamation and a later $83.3 million defamation verdict that federal courts addressed on appeal and enforcement (these are court‑ordered judgments rather than negotiated settlement payments). Reporting and case summaries stress the distinction between judgment amounts and negotiated settlement figures, noting that the $5 million and $83.3 million totals stem from trials and appeals processes and not from private settlement agreements. Sources documenting these awards and subsequent appeals underscore that media and legal trackers treat them as verdicts and enforcement actions, not settlement receipts or releases, which factors into why an itemized settlement list by year is unavailable. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

2. Hush Money and Reimbursements — Stormy Daniels and McDougal Payments

Investigations and court filings identify a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels in 2016/2017 arranged by Michael Cohen, with later reporting that Trump reimbursed Cohen and that company records show a $420,000 payment to cover reimbursement, taxes, and a bonus; courts and prosecutors treated the Daniels payment as central evidence in criminal and civil proceedings. Reporting also references a $150,000 payment to Karen McDougal for a story she said she was paid to suppress. These figures are documented in news reporting and trial exhibits as payments tied to efforts to keep allegations out of the 2016 electoral public sphere, but they are not characterized as settled civil claims resolving sexual‑assault lawsuits in the way typical plaintiff settlements are framed. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

3. Cases Reported as Settled or Dropped — Most Terms Undisclosed

Several civil claims involving sexual‑misconduct allegations against Trump were dismissed, dropped, or resolved through agreements that reporters describe as settlements with undisclosed terms. Investigative features recount that the Summer Zervos sexual‑assault lawsuit was resolved out of court and that Jill Harth’s suit was dropped after a settlement tied to a separate breach‑of‑contract matter, but none of these reports provide specific dollar amounts. Litigation trackers and long‑form reporting confirm a pattern of nondisclosure: plaintiffs or their counsel have often settled or dropped suits without publishing monetary terms, and news outlets therefore cannot produce a comprehensive, year‑by‑year itemization of settlement payments because the underlying agreements remain confidential. ^{[2] [5]}

4. Other Large Figures Reported But Not Sexual‑Misconduct Settlements

Some sizable payments and awards connected to Trump’s legal exposure are not settlements of sexual‑misconduct claims and thus should not be conflated with such payouts. Reporting cites an ABC‑related $15 million defamation settlement and other staff nondisclosure or employment‑related payouts (for example, reporting on a $450,000 staff NDA payout) that stem from employment disputes or defamation claims rather than sexual‑misconduct settlements. Analysts and trackers caution that mixing these categories produces inaccurate totals, and available public documentation separates adjudicated awards, hush‑money reimbursements, employment‑related payouts, and confidential civil settlements. ^{[3] [4]}

5. What the Public Record Actually Allows — A Conservative, Source‑Backed Summary

Based on available reporting and litigation compilations, the only itemized, attributable monetary figures connected to allegations of sexual behavior and related suppression efforts that are publicly documented are the E. Jean Carroll jury awards (roughly $5 million and $83.3 million as judgments) and the reported $130,000 Stormy Daniels payment (plus documented reimbursements totaling around $420,000) and a reported $150,000 payment to Karen McDougal; other alleged settlements — Summer Zervos, Jill Harth, and various NDAs — lack disclosed terms in public reporting, so they cannot be reliably itemized by year and case. Litigation trackers and multi‑outlet investigations emphasize this evidentiary limit: reporters can list which cases ended via settlement or dismissal, but they cannot supply dollar‑by‑dollar yearly breakdowns where agreements are confidential. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}