What is the documented list of women who have accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct and the legal outcomes of those cases?
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Executive summary
At least two dozen women have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct spanning decades; counts vary across outlets (26–28) because reporting aggregates different allegations and updates over time [1] [2]. Most accusations never produced criminal charges; a single civil jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation in the E. Jean Carroll matter, producing multi‑million dollar awards that Trump is appealing [3] [4].
1. Who the reporting names and why the totals vary
Major compilations list roughly 26–28 women who have accused Trump of misconduct: Business Insider and the Independent catalogued about 26 allegations as of 2017–2023 [1] [5], while more recent summaries and encyclopedic entries count as many as 27–28 after additional disclosures through 2024 [6] [2]. The variance comes from differences in inclusion criteria — some lists count only women who went public on the record, others include accounts gathered by journalists or compiled in books, and some newly reported allegations (for example Stacey Williams in 2024) raised the total [2] [6].
2. The most litigated and legally consequential accusations
The single most legally consequential accusation came from writer E. Jean Carroll, who alleged Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid‑1990s and then defamed her when he denied it; a New York jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered damages (multiple juries and awards were reported, totaling large sums that Trump has appealed) [3] [4] [7]. Reporting notes that those civil findings were not criminal convictions: the Carroll case produced civil liability and monetary damages rather than criminal sentences [3] [6].
3. Other named accusers and the outcomes attributed to them
Several women pursued civil claims or public accusations with varying legal outcomes: Jill Harth alleged groping and attempted rape in a 1997 suit that she later dropped after settling a separate breach‑of‑contract claim [3] [8]; Summer Zervos sued for defamation after Trump denied her allegation and later withdrew or settled that defamation action without compensation [2] [6]; Ivana Trump once alleged rape during a 1990 divorce but later recanted, according to reporting [2] [4]. Other accusers such as Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey, Jennifer Murphy and Karen Johnson are named in journalistic lists and books documenting unwanted kissing, groping or other misconduct, but most of those accounts did not produce criminal charges or successful civil judgments against Trump [9] [10] [11].
4. Criminal charges, appeals, and limits of the public record
Across the documented reporting, Trump has not been criminally convicted for sexual misconduct related to these allegations; the public record emphasized civil litigation and media reporting rather than criminal prosecution in these matters [6] [3]. The Carroll verdict produced jury findings of liability in civil court and substantial damages that Trump’s legal team has appealed and contested in multiple filings and related proceedings [4] [12]. Reporting also flags that lawsuits have been dismissed, settled, withdrawn or otherwise resolved short of jury findings in numerous other named incidents, which contributes to an uneven legal landscape [8] [3].
5. Denials, competing narratives, and journalistic caveats
Trump has broadly denied all the sexual‑misconduct allegations and characterized them as politically motivated or fabricated, a stance consistently documented in coverage [2] [1]. Journalistic compendia (The Guardian, PBS, Business Insider, The 19th, Axios) present alternative views by naming accusers, reporting legal filings and noting denials, while also acknowledging differences in standards between civil and criminal law and in the types of corroboration available for each allegation [10] [8] [11]. Where the sources are silent about evidence or where allegations were withdrawn, this account does not assert contrary facts; it reports the litigation outcomes and the public record as compiled by those outlets [3] [4].