Trump's Defamation Lawsuits: Who He Sued and Who Sued Him

There is no official public registry that counts every defamation lawsuit Donald Trump has filed or faced, so no one can give a verified, exact total. What can be documented are the cases that produced public court records and reliable reporting. This page tracks the most significant publicly recorded defamation matters connected to Trump, and it is important to understand from the start that he appears on both sides of these disputes: as a plaintiff who has sued news organizations and others, and as a defendant who has been sued, most notably by writer E. Jean Carroll, who won an $83.3 million defamation verdict against him in January 2024.

Information last verified on June 20, 2026. We update this page as new defamation cases involving Donald Trump are filed or resolved.

Scope: This article explains publicly documented U.S. litigation in which Donald Trump is a party to a defamation or closely related claim. It is general legal information about reported cases, not a complete docket of every claim ever filed and not legal advice. For the underlying law, see public-figure defamation and defamation laws by state.

Is There an Official Count of Trump's Defamation Cases?

No. There is no government registry, court database, or official tally that counts every defamation case Donald Trump has filed or faced. The cases are spread across many state and federal courts, some settle or are dismissed quietly, and there is no central index that aggregates them by party.

Defamation suits can be filed in the courts of any state where publication caused harm, and in federal court under diversity jurisdiction. Because Trump is involved as both a plaintiff and a defendant, the picture is more complicated than for a single media company. Some matters never reach a public docket because they settle before suit, some are dismissed early, and confidential settlements remove dollar figures from the record. Any specific number presented as the total of Trump's defamation cases would be an estimate, not a verified fact.

What can be verified is the set of cases that left a durable public record: a filed complaint with a docket number, a court opinion, a jury verdict, or a publicly confirmed settlement. The sections below cover those cases, organized by the role Trump plays in each.

Trump as a Defendant: The E. Jean Carroll Cases

The most consequential defamation litigation against Trump came from advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who brought two separate federal cases in the Southern District of New York before U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. Together they produced a $5 million verdict in 2023 and an $83.3 million verdict in 2024.

Carroll publicly accused Trump in 2019 of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Trump denied it in statements that became the basis for defamation claims. The two cases are commonly distinguished by their docket numbers.

The $83.3 Million Verdict (No. 1:20-cv-07311)

On January 26, 2024, a Manhattan federal jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83.3 million for defamatory statements he made in June 2019 while he was president. The award was $18.3 million in compensatory damages ($11 million to repair her reputation and $7.3 million for emotional harm) plus $65 million in punitive damages (Carroll v. Trump, No. 1:20-cv-07311, S.D.N.Y.).

This case, filed in November 2019, concerned statements Trump made denying Carroll's account. By the time it reached trial, an earlier ruling and the verdict in the companion case had already established that Trump's statements about Carroll were false and defamatory, so the January 2024 trial focused on damages. The jury returned an $83.3 million award, including a $65 million punitive component aimed at deterring further statements.

Trump posted a $91.6 million bond, underwritten by a Chubb subsidiary and set at 110 percent of the judgment to cover accruing interest, in March 2024 so he could appeal without paying immediately. On September 8, 2025, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the judgment, calling the award "fair and reasonable" and rejecting Trump's presidential-immunity argument. On April 29, 2026, the Second Circuit declined to rehear the case en banc, with three judges dissenting from the denial, leaving the Supreme Court as Trump's only remaining avenue.

The $5 Million Verdict (No. 1:22-cv-10016)

On May 9, 2023, a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and for defamation and awarded Carroll $5 million ($2.02 million for the sexual abuse and battery and $2.98 million for defamation) (Carroll v. Trump, No. 1:22-cv-10016, S.D.N.Y.).

Carroll brought this case in November 2022 under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily allowed certain older claims to be filed. The jury found that Trump sexually abused Carroll and defamed her with a 2022 statement. Importantly, the jury did not find that Trump "raped" Carroll under New York's narrow statutory definition of rape; it found sexual abuse. Judge Kaplan later observed in a written opinion that the conduct the jury found amounted to "rape" as that word is commonly understood, even though it did not meet the state penal-law definition. That distinction later became central to a separate case Trump filed against ABC News.

The Second Circuit affirmed the $5 million judgment on December 30, 2024 and declined to rehear it. Trump then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case, raising evidentiary questions about the testimony of other accusers. As of June 20, 2026, that petition (No. 25-573) was pending, having been distributed for the justices' conference in mid-June 2026 after several reschedulings, with no decision yet on whether the Court would hear it.

Trump as a Plaintiff: Suits He Has Filed

Trump has filed a series of high-dollar suits against news organizations. Several were dismissed, two were settled with payments to a future presidential foundation, and several remained pending as of June 20, 2026.

Trump v. CNN: Dismissed and Affirmed

Trump's defamation suit against CNN over the network's use of the phrase 'the Big Lie' was dismissed by a federal judge in 2023 and unanimously affirmed by the Eleventh Circuit on November 18, 2025 (Trump v. Cable News Network, No. 0:22-cv-61842, S.D. Fla.).

Trump filed the suit in the Southern District of Florida in 2022, arguing that CNN's repeated use of "the Big Lie" improperly associated him with Hitler and Nazi propaganda. The district court dismissed the claim because the statements Trump complained of were "opinion, not factually false statements, and therefore [we]re not actionable." A three-judge Eleventh Circuit panel affirmed on November 18, 2025, agreeing that Trump had failed to plead falsity. As of June 20, 2026, Trump had signaled an intent to seek Supreme Court review and had obtained an extension of the deadline to file a certiorari petition, but the petition itself had not yet been filed.

Trump v. ABC News and George Stephanopoulos: Settled

ABC News settled Trump's defamation suit in December 2024, agreeing to contribute $15 million to a future Trump presidential foundation and museum and to pay $1 million toward his legal fees (Trump v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., No. 1:24-cv-21050, S.D. Fla.).

Trump sued after anchor George Stephanopoulos stated on air, several times during a March 10, 2024 interview, that a jury had found Trump "liable for rape" in the Carroll litigation. As explained above, the jury had found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, not rape under New York's statutory definition. ABC announced the settlement on December 14, 2024 and posted an editor's note expressing regret over the statements; the stipulation dismissing the case was filed later that month. The settlement was not an admission of liability.

Trump v. CBS / Paramount: The $16 Million '60 Minutes' Settlement

Paramount, the parent of CBS, agreed in July 2025 to pay $16 million to settle Trump's suit over the editing of a 2024 '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris. The money was directed to a future Trump presidential library rather than to Trump personally, and the settlement included no apology.

Trump filed this suit in federal court in Texas in November 2024, initially seeking $10 billion and later amending the claim to $20 billion. Notably, the suit was framed largely around consumer-protection and unfair-competition theories, alleging deceptive editing, rather than as a conventional defamation claim. Paramount announced the $16 million settlement on July 1-2, 2025, and the deal included a commitment that "60 Minutes" would release transcripts of future interviews with eligible presidential candidates. As with the ABC deal, the settlement did not include an admission of wrongdoing.

Trump v. The New York Times: Dismissed for Length, Then Refiled

Trump's $15 billion suit against The New York Times was dismissed on September 19, 2025 because the 85-page complaint was 'decidedly improper and impermissible,' and Trump refiled a shorter version on October 16, 2025. The refiled case remained pending as of June 20, 2026.

U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in the Middle District of Florida threw out the original complaint not on the merits but as a procedural matter, writing that a complaint "is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally." He gave Trump's lawyers a chance to refile within roughly four weeks, capped at 40 pages. Trump filed an amended 40-page complaint, again seeking $15 billion and naming the newspaper, several reporters, and the publisher of a related book. As of June 20, 2026, no ruling on the merits of the amended complaint had been reported.

Trump v. The Wall Street Journal: Dismissed, Then Refiled

Trump's defamation suit against Dow Jones, News Corp, and Rupert Murdoch over a Wall Street Journal report about an Epstein-related birthday letter was dismissed without prejudice on April 13, 2026 for failing to plausibly allege actual malice; Trump filed an amended complaint, which remained pending as of June 20, 2026 (Trump v. Murdoch, No. 1:25-cv-23232, S.D. Fla.).

Trump filed the suit in July 2025, seeking at least $10 billion over a Wall Street Journal story describing a 2003 letter the paper said bore his signature. U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles found the complaint came "nowhere close" to establishing that the journalists acted with actual malice, the constitutional standard for public figures, but allowed Trump to amend. As of June 20, 2026, the amended complaint was pending and the defendants had moved again to dismiss.

Trump v. the BBC: A New Suit Over an Edited Documentary

In December 2025, Trump filed a $10 billion suit against the BBC in the Southern District of Florida over a 'Panorama' documentary that edited together clips of his January 6, 2021 speech. The case remained pending as of June 20, 2026.

Trump alleged defamation and a violation of Florida's deceptive-trade-practices law, claiming the edit created the impression he directly called for violence. The BBC had earlier acknowledged the edit gave a "mistaken impression" and apologized, while disputing that it was defamatory, and it said it would defend the case.

Trump v. the Pulitzer Prize Board: Still in Discovery

Trump's 2022 suit against members of the Pulitzer Prize Board, over its refusal to rescind 2018 prizes awarded to The New York Times and The Washington Post for Russia-related coverage, was proceeding in Florida state court as of June 20, 2026.

The Pulitzer Board asked Florida courts to pause the case until Trump leaves office, citing the unusual posture of a state court overseeing a sitting president's lawsuit. A Florida appeals court rejected that request, and the Florida Supreme Court declined to take up the issue in 2025, allowing the case to move into discovery, where it remained as of mid-2026.

Trump v. the Des Moines Register and Ann Selzer: A Consumer-Fraud Theory

Trump sued the Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer in December 2024 over a pre-election Iowa poll that showed Kamala Harris leading in a state Trump won. The case was pleaded as a consumer-fraud claim rather than defamation, and after procedural moves it was proceeding in Iowa state court, with discovery stayed, as of June 20, 2026.

Trump first sued in Iowa state court, the case moved to federal court, Trump then dismissed it and refiled in state court in 2025, and a federal appeals court sent the matter back to state court. An Iowa judge in early 2026 stayed discovery pending a ruling on the defendants' motion to dismiss but declined to pause the case entirely until Trump leaves office. Because the suit is framed around alleged consumer fraud rather than defamation, it is included here for context as part of Trump's broader litigation against the press.

A Note on Trump v. Bob Woodward

Trump's suit against journalist Bob Woodward and Simon & Schuster over "The Trump Tapes" audiobook is sometimes grouped with his media litigation, but it was a copyright and contract case, not a defamation case. A federal judge in Manhattan dismissed it in July 2025, finding Trump had not plausibly alleged that he and Woodward were joint authors of the recordings. It is noted here only to avoid confusion, because it is not a defamation matter.

A Chronological Rundown of Major Cases

The table below summarizes the major, publicly documented defamation and closely related cases involving Donald Trump. It is not a complete list, and dollar figures are the amounts claimed unless an outcome figure is shown. "Role" indicates whether Trump was the plaintiff (P) or defendant (D).

Analysis: Why This Matters

The following is analysis from the Recording Law Editorial Team.

The Trump litigation is unusual because it shows the same person on both sides of defamation law, and the outcomes diverge sharply depending on his role. As a defendant, Trump lost decisively to E. Jean Carroll, and the size of the awards, especially the $65 million punitive component in the $83.3 million case, reflects a jury and trial court that found repeated, knowing falsehoods. As a plaintiff, his record is far weaker on the merits: the CNN suit was dismissed and affirmed because "the Big Lie" was treated as protected opinion, and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal complaints were thrown out, at least initially, for procedural defects or for failing to plausibly allege actual malice.

That pattern illustrates the central doctrine of American defamation law. Under New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, a public official cannot recover for a defamatory falsehood relating to his official conduct unless he proves it was made with "actual malice," that is, with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not. Statements that are opinion, not factually false statements, are not actionable; that was the district court's ground for dismissing Trump's CNN suit, and the Eleventh Circuit affirmed because Trump had not adequately pleaded falsity. Those standards are why several of Trump's suits as a plaintiff have struggled, and they are the same standards that Carroll had to meet, and did, to prevail against him.

The settlements complicate any simple scorecard. ABC and Paramount chose to pay millions rather than litigate, and observers across the spectrum have debated whether those decisions reflected the strength of the claims, the business interests of the parent companies, or other pressures. A settlement is not a finding of liability, and neither company admitted wrongdoing. We are describing what the public record shows; we are not predicting how any pending matter, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, Pulitzer, or Selzer cases, will resolve, and we are not characterizing the motives behind the settlements beyond what the parties stated.

How Defamation Claims Involving Public Figures Generally Work

This section describes general principles, not advice about any specific case. In the United States, a public figure suing for defamation generally must prove a false statement of fact (not opinion), that it was published to others, that it caused harm, and that it was made with actual malice. That last element, articulated in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan for defamation claims by public officials and applied to public figures by later cases, is a demanding standard, which is why many public-figure claims are dismissed before trial. For more on this framework, see our overview of public-figure defamation.

When a case does reach a jury and the plaintiff prevails, damages can include compensatory awards for economic and emotional harm and, in some cases, punitive damages, as in the Carroll litigation. Cases can also settle at any stage, and some Trump-related matters were resolved by settlement rather than verdict. Anyone with a specific legal question about a defamation matter should consult a lawyer licensed in the relevant jurisdiction.

Related Defamation Explainers

• How Many Times Has CNN Been Sued for Defamation?
• How Many Times Has Fox News Been Sued for Defamation?
• Elon Musk's Defamation Lawsuits
• Can a Public Figure Sue for Defamation? (Actual Malice)

This is general legal information, not legal advice. It summarizes publicly documented litigation involving Donald Trump as verified on June 20, 2026, and is not a complete list of every claim ever filed. Court records, settlements, and case statuses change. Consult a lawyer licensed in your jurisdiction about any specific situation.

Related articles

• Public-Figure Defamation
• Defamation Laws by State

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Last updated: 2026-06-20. We update this page as new cases are filed or resolved.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many defamation lawsuits has Donald Trump been involved in?

There is no official registry that counts every defamation case involving Trump, so no verified total exists. He appears as both a plaintiff and a defendant. This page documents the major, publicly recorded cases, including the two E. Jean Carroll cases against him and a series of suits he has filed against news organizations.

Has Donald Trump ever lost a defamation case?

Yes. As a defendant, he lost to E. Jean Carroll twice. A jury awarded her $5 million in 2023 for sexual abuse and defamation, and a separate jury awarded her $83.3 million in 2024 for defamation. Both verdicts were affirmed on appeal, and as of June 20, 2026 he was still pursuing further review.

How much does Trump owe E. Jean Carroll?

The two verdicts total $88.3 million: $5 million from the 2023 case and $83.3 million from the 2024 case. Trump posted a $91.6 million bond to appeal the larger judgment. As of June 20, 2026, both judgments had been affirmed by the Second Circuit, and Trump was seeking or weighing Supreme Court review.

Did Trump win his lawsuit against CNN?

No. His defamation suit against CNN over the phrase 'the Big Lie' was dismissed and unanimously affirmed by the Eleventh Circuit on November 18, 2025, on the ground that the phrase was protected opinion. As of June 20, 2026, he had signaled but not yet filed a petition for Supreme Court review.

Why did ABC News and Paramount pay Trump?

Both settled lawsuits rather than go to trial. ABC News agreed in December 2024 to pay about $15 million to a future Trump presidential foundation plus $1 million in legal fees, after George Stephanopoulos inaccurately said on air that Trump had been found liable for rape. Paramount agreed in July 2025 to pay $16 million to settle Trump's '60 Minutes' suit. Neither settlement included an admission of liability.

Is Trump's lawsuit against The New York Times still active?

Yes, as of June 20, 2026. A federal judge dismissed the original $15 billion complaint on September 19, 2025 for being too long and improper, but allowed Trump to refile. He filed a shorter amended complaint on October 16, 2025, and no ruling on its merits had been reported.

What is the difference between the two E. Jean Carroll verdicts?

The 2023 case (No. 1:22-cv-10016) found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded $5 million. The 2024 case (No. 1:20-cv-07311) was a separate defamation case over 2019 statements and awarded $83.3 million, including $65 million in punitive damages. Both were decided in the Southern District of New York before Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.