How many women have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct and which accusations resulted in civil suits?
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Executive summary
Public tallies of women who have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct vary by source, with longstanding compilations listing roughly mid-to-high twenties and some later tallies reaching the high‑20s; reporting notes “at least 26” and “at least 28” accusers in different accounts [1][2]. A smaller subset of those accusations led to formal civil litigation: the most consequential are the E. Jean Carroll lawsuits, which produced multiple civil judgments against Trump, while several other accusers pursued or threatened civil suits that were later withdrawn, settled, or remained pending [3][4][5].
1. How many women? Two competing tallies and why they differ
Contemporary compilers of the allegations list different totals because they count different time spans, include varying categories of conduct, and incorporate later claims added after earlier lists were published; Business Insider reported “at least 26” women as of its 2017–2023 roundup [1], while Wikipedia’s running list and other timelines place the number at “at least 28” when including more recent claims and historical allegations stretching back to the 1970s [2]. Both sources emphasize that Trump has denied the allegations [1][2], and both underscore that counting is dynamic: journalists and researchers add alleged incidents over time as new accusers go public [6][7].
2. Which accusations produced civil suits — the E. Jean Carroll litigation
The most detailed and legally consequential civil litigation arose from writer E. Jean Carroll’s accusations that Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid‑1990s and later defamed her when he denied the claim; Carroll filed two related civil suits — one for defamation and one later for battery under New York’s Adult Survivors Act — that went to trial and produced jury findings against Trump [3][8]. In May 2023 a New York jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded Carroll $5 million; a subsequent federal proceeding produced an $83.3 million award for defamation, and appeals courts have both upheld parts of those findings and left the awards subject to appeal [2][9][4]. Collectively, reporting summarizes the Carroll judgments as totaling about $88.3 million, with Trump appealing and seeking Supreme Court review of aspects of the rulings [3][10].
3. Other civil suits: filed, withdrawn, dismissed or unresolved
Beyond Carroll, multiple women moved civil claims or defamation suits against Trump: Jill Harth filed a $125 million sexual‑harassment lawsuit in 1997 that was later withdrawn amid parallel litigation involving her husband [5], and Summer Zervos filed a defamation suit in January 2017 after Trump publicly denied her allegations; that Zervos matter survived procedural hurdles in New York courts and was allowed to proceed on appeal in 2021 [5]. Reporting also documents other accusers threatening or initiating civil claims over the years and notes settlements or dismissals in some instances, though not all of those later filings resulted in jury findings like Carroll’s [6][7].
4. Legal context and limits: why most allegations did not become jury findings
Several factors explain why relatively few accusations became adjudicated civil findings: statutes of limitations historically barred some suits until temporary windows such as New York’s Adult Survivors Act created new civil windows for older claims [8]; plaintiffs sometimes withdraw suits or settle for non‑monetary terms [5]; and civil standards of proof, procedural rulings over admissible evidence, and defendants’ denials shape which matters proceed to verdict [3][8]. The Carroll trials are unique in producing jury findings of liability and substantial monetary awards that have survived some appellate scrutiny [4][9].
5. Summary judgment: numbers, suits, and uncertainty
Accepted reporting establishes that roughly mid‑ to high‑twenties worth of women have publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct in media and investigative timelines, with at least one accuser — E. Jean Carroll — obtaining multiple civil judgments against him after trials and appeals that produced combined awards reported around $88.3 million and ongoing appeals [1][3][4]. Other named accusers pursued civil litigation at various times — including Jill Harth and Summer Zervos — but those actions were withdrawn, settled, or procedurally distinct from Carroll’s trials and did not produce equivalent jury liability findings as of the reporting cited [5][6].