Which US president has been sued the most after leaving office?

1. Summary of the results

Multiple contemporary reporting threads point to former President Donald J. Trump as the most legally prolific ex‑president in recent U.S. history, facing and initiating numerous civil suits after leaving the White House; reporting cites high‑dollar defamation lawsuits he filed against major media organizations and an array of other post‑office legal actions ^{[1] [2]}. Coverage documents at least several high‑profile filings — a $15 billion suit against The New York Times, a $10 billion suit against The Wall Street Journal, and other suits against outlets such as ABC and Paramount — and notes court actions dismissing or narrowing claims, indicating active litigation but also judicial pushback ^{[3] [4] [5]}. While these articles focus on Trump’s filings and defenses, none provide a comprehensive, catalogued count comparing every modern ex‑president’s post‑office litigation history; the sources collectively support the conclusion that Trump is a leading candidate for “most sued or suing” among recent ex‑presidents, but they stop short of an exhaustive cross‑presidential accounting or of including older historical figures whose legal exposure might be less documented in these outlets ^{[1] [5]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The sources emphasize high‑profile media defamation cases tied to Trump but omit systematic tallying and historical comparison required to declare definitively which ex‑president has been sued the most. Litigation frequency can be measured several ways — number of distinct suits filed against an individual, number of defendants named, total litigation filings across jurisdictions, or total dollar claims — and the available reports do not apply a consistent metric ^{[1] [2]}. Historical presidents such as Richard Nixon faced numerous post‑office legal exposures and investigations, and other ex‑presidents have seen lawsuits over records, memoirs, or civil claims; archival court records, federal court dockets, and legal databases would be needed to compile an apples‑to‑apples comparison across eras. Additionally, some reports derive from outlets with partisan readers, so alternative outlets or primary court filings could shift counts; a definitive answer requires a methodical review of federal, state, and appellate dockets, plus clarity on inclusion criteria ^{[4] [5]}.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

Framing the question as “Which US president has been sued the most after leaving office?” risks amplifying narratives that benefit particular political actors: highlighting Trump’s litigiousness can reinforce portrayals of victimhood or persecution among his supporters while opponents may use the same data to argue pattern of grievance litigation. The source set largely consists of reporting on suits filed by Trump against media entities, not independent tallies of suits against former presidents, which can bias the conclusion toward the most newsworthy litigant rather than the most litigated historical figure ^[1]. Media coverage prioritizes large dollar figures and partisan flashpoints; that selection effect benefits outlets and political actors seeking engagement. To avoid misleading readers, any claim that a specific ex‑president is “the most sued” should be backed by transparent methodology, exhaustive docket searches, and cross‑checking across nonpartisan legal databases rather than reliance on a cluster of high‑profile news articles ^{[3] [2]}.