Which past lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct by Donald Trump were dropped or dismissed and what reasons did courts give?
Executive summary
Multiple civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct by Donald Trump were either dismissed by courts on procedural grounds or voluntarily dropped by plaintiffs — most commonly because the complaints failed to state a valid legal claim in the forum chosen, the plaintiff elected not to pursue an amended pleading, or the matter was resolved separately through settlement — while a few high‑profile claims proceeded and survived dismissal efforts (notably E. Jean Carroll’s actions) [1] [2] [3]. Reporting shows a mix of judicial rulings focused on legal sufficiency and strategic choices by accusers or their attorneys, with some filings later called into question by third‑party involvement and promotion [1].
1. Katie Johnson / “Jane Doe” federal case — dismissed for lack of a federal cause of action
A 2016 federal lawsuit by a woman using the pseudonym “Katie Johnson” that named Trump and Jeffrey Epstein and alleged sexual abuse dating to the 1990s was dismissed by a federal judge in May 2016 on the ground that the complaint “didn’t raise valid claims under federal law” — in short, the pleading failed to invoke a federal cause of action that would permit the case to continue in federal court [1] [2]. Subsequent reporting and fact‑checking have also documented third‑party involvement in promoting that filing — for example, an operative later acknowledged playing a role under a false name — which commentators say complicates interpretation of why the case was filed and then dropped, though that does not itself prove or disprove the underlying allegations [1].
2. Jill Harth and other 1990s civil suits — dropped after settlement or strategic resolution
Jill Harth, who in the 1990s alleged forcible kissing and groping by Trump, filed litigation that she later dropped after resolving a separate breach‑of‑contract dispute with Trump’s side, according to contemporaneous AP reporting cited in The Guardian and Axios summaries [4] [5]. Multiple accounts summarized by mainstream outlets show several early civil claims from the 1990s and 2000s were discontinued after plaintiffs reached settlements or resolved related business disputes, indicating many case endings were the product of negotiated resolutions rather than court rulings on the merits [4] [5].
3. Summer Zervos — civil defamation suit proceeded then plaintiff withdrew before testimony
Summer Zervos sued Trump for defamation after he publicly denied her 2007 allegations and called them lies; New York courts allowed aspects of her suit to proceed and ordered testimony, but Zervos later withdrew from the case before Trump was required to testify, effectively ending her lawsuit without a judicial merits ruling against Trump in that civil track [6] [7]. New York appeals courts in related proceedings denied some of Trump’s attempts to remove the matter to federal court, allowing state litigation to continue before Zervos chose to step away [6].
4. Stacey Williams and similar claims — dropped after parallel settlement
Reporting on Stacey Williams’ claim notes she accused Trump of sexual harassment and attempted rape but dropped that suit after settling a separate breach‑of‑contract action with him, an outcome documented by the AP and summarized in later news accounts [5]. That pattern — a sexual‑misconduct allegation being discontinued after a separate, non‑public settlement — recurs in multiple summaries of Trump’s past litigation history [4] [5].
5. E. Jean Carroll — survived dismissal attempts, outcome distinct from dropped suits
E. Jean Carroll’s litigation illustrates a different path: courts repeatedly entertained motions in her lawsuits, Trump sought dismissals and constitutional challenges, and parts of the case survived such motions, culminating in a jury finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation in 2023; the Carroll litigation was not a simple dismissal or voluntary withdrawal and thus stands apart from the dropped/dismissed matters described above [3]. Trump’s lawyers filed multiple motions to dismiss and argued statutory and constitutional defenses, but courts allowed Carroll’s claims to proceed to trial in key respects [3].
6. Why courts dismissed or plaintiffs dropped — legal sufficiency, strategic choice, and settlements
Across these episodes the dominant legal reasons for dismissal were procedural — notably failure to state a viable federal claim or improper forum — while plaintiffs’ withdrawals often reflected strategic decisions, safety concerns, or private settlements; courts sometimes granted leave to amend but plaintiffs opted not to replead, ending litigation without a merits adjudication [1] [2] [6]. Reporting also highlights non‑legal factors that influenced outcomes: third‑party promotion of filings, threats or fear expressed by accusers, and parallel non‑sexual litigation that produced settlements and case dismissals, all of which muddy the public record and point to limits in what court filings alone can reveal [1] [2] [4].