Civil Fraud and Business Deception
Civil judgments, settlements, and findings related to fraudulent business practices.
33 entries
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceThe CBS News Lawsuit: Trump Sued for $10 Billion Over a 60 Minutes Interview, Then Collected $16 Million in Settlement2024–2025
On October 31, 2024, five days before the presidential election, Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against CBS News and its parent company Paramount Global, demanding $10 billion in damages. The lawsuit alleged that the network had engaged in "deceptive doctoring" of a 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris by airing two…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedWeaponizing Defamation Lawsuits from the Oval Office: The ABC, CBS, Des Moines Register, and Pulitzer Board Cases of 2024 and 20252024–2026
Beginning in 2024 and continuing into his second term as president, Donald Trump filed or pursued a series of defamation lawsuits against major news organizations, a national pollster, and the Pulitzer Prize Board. Two of the suits resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements that press freedom advocates described as unprecedented…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedE. Jean Carroll Defamation Verdict: $83.3 Million Jury Award for 'Remarkably Reprehensible' Conduct2022–2025
On January 26, 2024, a federal jury in Manhattan awarded E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages after finding that Donald Trump had defamed her by repeatedly denying her allegation that he sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s and by attacking her character and motives. The…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedGiuliani's $148 Million Defamation Verdict: Consequences for Spreading Trump's Election Fraud Claims Against Georgia Election Workers2020–2024
On December 15, 2023, a federal jury in Washington, D.C. awarded Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea "Shaye" Moss a total of $148,169,000 in compensatory and punitive damages after finding that Rudy Giuliani had defamed them by repeatedly and falsely accusing them of committing election fraud while they served as poll workers in Fulton…
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceElection Technology Defamation: Trump's Amplification of False Claims About Dominion Voting Systems and the Resulting Legal Fallout2020–2026
Following the November 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump and his allies launched a sustained campaign of false claims alleging that Dominion Voting Systems and other election technology companies had manipulated vote counts to steal the election. Trump personally amplified these claims through social media posts, public…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedFox News Dominion Voting Systems Settlement: $787.5 Million Resolution Exposing Trump's Election Lies as Source Material2020–2023
On April 18, 2023, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million to settle a defamation lawsuit, the largest publicly known defamation settlement in American media history. While Fox News was the defendant, the case exposed through sworn testimony and internal communications that Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedPost-Election Litigation Campaign: 62 Lawsuits Filed to Overturn the 2020 Election Results, Nearly All Dismissed2020–2021
Following the November 3, 2020, presidential election, the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and Trump allies filed 62 lawsuits in nine states and the District of Columbia challenging election processes, vote counting procedures, and the certification of results. Sixty-one of the 62 cases were dismissed by the courts or…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedNewsmax Defamation Settlements: $40 Million to Smartmatic and $67 Million to Dominion for Amplifying False Election Fraud Claims2020–2025
Newsmax Media, a conservative cable news network that amplified Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 presidential election, paid a combined $107 million in defamation settlements to two voting technology companies whose reputations were damaged by those claims. Newsmax paid $40 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Smartmatic and…
Tier 2, Formally Charged or InvestigatedNew York AG Investigation into Trump Organization Insurance Practices: Inflated Assets in Applications to Insurers2019–2024
In February 2019, former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Donald Trump had routinely inflated the value of his assets when seeking favorable insurance terms. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked Cohen directly whether Trump had ever presented inflated assets to an insurance company. Cohen…
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceUnpaid Campaign Rally Bills: Trump's Refusal to Pay the City of El Paso and a Pattern of Unpaid Municipal Security Costs2019–2026
On February 11, 2019, Donald Trump held a campaign rally at the El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas. The event required significant municipal resources, including police overtime, traffic management, and public safety personnel. The City of El Paso billed the Trump campaign $470,000 for security and related expenses. As of April…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedSummer Zervos Defamation Lawsuit: Presidential Immunity Challenge and Withdrawal Without Compensation2017–2021
Summer Zervos, a contestant on Season 5 of The Apprentice, accused Donald Trump of sexual assault in October 2016, alleging that Trump groped and kissed her without consent during a 2007 meeting at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. Zervos came forward alongside several other women who made similar allegations in the weeks following…
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceJacobus v. Trump: Defamation Lawsuit by Republican Consultant over Twitter Attacks2016–2017
In 2016, Republican political consultant and television commentator Cheryl Jacobus filed a $4 million defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump in New York State court after Trump attacked her on Twitter. The case arose from a series of tweets Trump posted in February 2016 during the Republican presidential primary.
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedBondi Donation: $25,000 Trump Foundation Gift to Florida Attorney General While Trump University Investigation Was Under Consideration2013–2019
On September 17, 2013, the Donald J. Trump Foundation made a $25,000 donation to And Justice for All, a political committee supporting Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. The donation was made during a period when Bondi's office was considering whether to join a multi-state investigation of Trump University, following New York Attorney…
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceFlorida Regulatory Record: Hundreds of Health Code Violations at Trump Doral and Mar-a-Lago2013–2019
Florida state regulatory records document a sustained pattern of health code violations at two of Donald Trump's most prominent properties: Trump National Doral Miami and the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach. Between 2013 and 2019, the two properties accumulated hundreds of citations from Florida health inspectors.
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedTrump SoHo: Buyer Fraud Settlement and Abandoned Criminal Investigation After Attorney Donations to DA2008–2012
Trump SoHo was a 46-story hotel-condominium tower at 246 Spring Street in Manhattan, developed through a partnership between the Trump Organization and the Bayrock Group. Beginning in 2008, Trump Organization principals publicly stated that between 31 and 60 percent of units had been sold. In April 2008, the team claimed 31 percent of…
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceSilencing Accusers: The Catch-and-Kill System, NDAs, and Legal Threats Used to Suppress Sexual Misconduct Allegations2007–2022
Over a period of more than a decade, Donald Trump and his associates employed a system of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), legal threats, defamation of accusers, and a "catch-and-kill" arrangement with American Media Inc. (AMI) to suppress public disclosure of sexual misconduct allegations. The system operated across multiple accusers…
Tier 4, Credibly Reported Through Investigative JournalismThe Trump Network and ACN: Endorsing Multi-Level Marketing Schemes for Millions in Undisclosed Payments2006–2024
Over roughly a decade, Donald Trump lent his name, image, and personal endorsement to at least two multi-level marketing operations: ACN Opportunity, LLC, a telecommunications MLM selling video phones, and the Trump Network, an MLM selling customized vitamin supplements. In both cases, Trump received millions of dollars in payments while…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedTrump University: $25 Million Settlement for Fraud and Misrepresentation2005–2018
Trump University was a for-profit enterprise launched in 2005 that marketed real estate seminars as a path to learning Trump's personal investment strategies. Despite its name, it was not an accredited university. The New York State Department of Education notified the business in 2005 that it was violating state law by using the term…
Tier 4, Credibly Reported Through Investigative JournalismTrump Institute: Fraudulent Seminars Using Plagiarized Materials and Deceptive Marketing2005–2010
The Trump Institute was a seminar operation that launched in 2005, licensing the Trump name and image to market real estate investment courses to the public. The business was owned and operated by Irene and Mike Milin, a couple with a documented history of consumer fraud allegations spanning more than a decade. Trump licensed his name,…
Tier 4, Credibly Reported Through Investigative JournalismThe Apprentice NDAs: Non-Disclosure Agreements Used to Suppress Information About Trump's Conduct on the Set of His Television Show2004–2024
Contestants, crew members, and staff who participated in "The Apprentice" and "The Celebrity Apprentice," the NBC reality television shows hosted by Donald Trump from 2004 to 2015, were required to sign non-disclosure agreements that prohibited them from publicly discussing what occurred during filming. These NDAs, enforced by both the…
Tier 4, Credibly Reported Through Investigative JournalismDoe v. Trump: Anonymous Federal Lawsuit Alleging Sexual Assault of a Minor at a Party Hosted by Jeffrey Epstein1994–2016
In April 2016, a woman using the pseudonym "Katie Johnson" filed a federal civil lawsuit in the Central District of California against Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. The complaint alleged that Trump raped the plaintiff at a party hosted by Epstein in Manhattan in 1994, when the plaintiff was 13 years old. The complaint further alleged…
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceTrump Village Rent Overcharge Scheme: Tenants Sued Over Decades of Fraudulently Inflated Rents at Fred Trump's Brooklyn Properties1992–2020
In December 2020, tenants of rent-regulated apartments in more than 30 buildings previously owned by the Trump family filed a class-action lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court in Brooklyn. The lawsuit alleged that Donald Trump, his siblings, and the Trump Organization had operated a scheme to fraudulently inflate rent increases for as…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedAtlantic City Casino Regulatory Violations: Fines, Discrimination Citations, and Anti-Money Laundering Failures1990–2015
Donald Trump's Atlantic City casino operations accumulated a significant record of regulatory violations, fines, and citations from the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and federal regulators over approximately 25 years of operation.
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedUSFL v. NFL: $1 Antitrust Verdict After Trump-Led Strategy Collapsed the League1984–1990
Donald Trump purchased a majority stake in the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League in August 1983. The USFL had been founded in 1982 as a spring professional football league and initially attracted solid attendance and television deals with ABC and ESPN.
Tier 4, Credibly Reported Through Investigative JournalismSLAPP Litigation: Pattern of Strategic Lawsuits to Silence Journalists, Critics, and Political Opponents1984–2025
Over the course of his career, Donald Trump has filed or threatened thousands of lawsuits. Legal scholars, press freedom organizations, and investigative journalists have documented a pattern in which Trump used litigation as a tool to silence critics, intimidate journalists, and deter unfavorable coverage, consistent with the…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedUSFL v. NFL: Trump's Role in the Fall Schedule Gamble That Destroyed a Professional Football League1984–1986
The United States Football League was founded in 1982 as a spring professional football league designed to avoid direct competition with the NFL. The league launched its first season in March 1983 with twelve teams and initially attracted television contracts, fan interest, and stable ownership groups. Donald Trump purchased the New…
Tier 1, Adjudicated and Legally ResolvedFrivolous Litigation as Intimidation: Trump's Pattern of Using Defamation Lawsuits to Silence Critics and Journalists1984–2024
Over a period spanning four decades, Donald Trump has filed or threatened lawsuits against journalists, authors, media organizations, and critics who published unflattering information about his wealth, his business practices, or his conduct. In the most prominent adjudicated cases, Trump's claims were dismissed by courts. The pattern…
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceBankrupting Small Businesses Through Non-Payment: The Edward Friel Jr. Cabinet Company and Trump's Pattern of Stiffing Contractors1984–1989
Edward Friel Jr. operated the Edward J. Friel Co., a family-owned cabinet-making business in Philadelphia that had been founded by his father in the 1940s. During the Atlantic City casino construction boom of the 1980s, Friel's company secured a contract worth approximately $400,000 to build the bases for slot machines, registration…
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceSuing Journalists Who Question His Wealth: Trump's Decades-Long Pattern of Using Litigation to Suppress Unfavorable Press Coverage1984–2025
Donald Trump has used litigation against journalists and news organizations as a tool to suppress reporting about his finances and business conduct. This pattern spans more than four decades, predates his political career, and continued through both his presidential terms.
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceNew Jersey Casino Regulatory History: Anti-Money Laundering Violations, FinCEN Penalties, and Organized Crime Associations1982–2015
Donald Trump's casino operations in Atlantic City were subject to regulatory oversight by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and the Division of Gaming Enforcement from the time Trump received his initial casino license in March 1982. Over the following three decades, the regulatory record documented a pattern of anti-money…
Tier 4, Credibly Reported Through Investigative JournalismSqueezing Tenants: Trump's Pattern of Using Lease Terms, Harassment, and Litigation to Force Out Renters and Commercial Occupants1981–2020
Over several decades, Donald Trump and entities controlled by him engaged in a documented pattern of using aggressive lease enforcement, building-condition manipulation, and litigation to pressure tenants into vacating properties. The pattern extended across residential rent-stabilized tenants, commercial lessees, and restaurant…
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceThe Bonwit Teller Art Destruction: Trump Promised Art Deco Treasures to the Metropolitan Museum, Then Had Them Jackhammered1980
In 1980, Donald Trump promised to donate historically significant Art Deco architectural elements from the Bonwit Teller building in Manhattan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, then ordered the artworks destroyed instead, claiming that preserving them would have delayed the construction of Trump Tower.
Tier 3, Documented Through Primary EvidenceOver 500 Shell Companies and LLCs: How the Trump Organization Used Corporate Structures to Obscure Ownership, Shield Liability, and Complicate Investigations1980–2026
The Trump Organization is not a single company but a conglomerate of more than 500 separate entities, most of them limited liability companies. When Trump filed his Federal Election Commission financial disclosure as a presidential candidate in 2015, he listed approximately 515 entities. Subsequent filings and investigations identified…