Civil Legal Scandals
Displaying 82 Scandals
Sorted by When News Broke
-
Rudy GiulianiFmr. NYC Mayor [R]






4.2m
9/27/25Secretly settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for falsely claiming their machines rigged the 2020 election and spreading other conspiracy theories that severely damaged the company’s reputation
According to an exclusive report by The Washington Post -
Massachusetts Republican Party
9/11/25Accepted tens of thousands of dollars in illegal donations including $27k from an ineligible GOP candidate during the 2022 election and was forced to pay over $36k to settle a campaign finance claim filed against them
According to an exclusive report by The Boston Globe -
8/18/25Settled a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $67 million for spreading false 2020 election conspiracy theories about their voting machines which caused significant defamatory damage to their company brand
According to a settlement agreed to by Newsmax and Dominion Voting Systems -
Daniel DuffeyPolitical Strategist [R]
7/25/25Falsely accused someone he barely knew of sexual assault by distributing flyers in their neighborhood with his name and photo, inundated him and members of his family with a torrent of messages, traveled to his county the week he got married apparently to harass him and created a fake account on a gay website in their name simply because he didn't respond to text messages fast enough
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
Josh KimbrellState Senator [R-SC]
7/13/25Stole $2 million from his business partner over a two-and-a-half-year period by improperly diverting company assets to a secret corporation he and his wife created
According to a civil lawsuit filed by his former business partner -
Jack TompkinsMayor [R-NJ]
7/11/25Sexually harassed a female government employee and retaliated against her when she filed an official complaint and then used taxpayer dollars to settle a lawsuit she filed against him and the town
According to an exclusive report by WHYY public media -
Brant FrostDonor [R]
7/11/25Bilked his 300 clients out of over $140 million by operating a Ponzi scheme that funneled nearly $20 million to his personal accounts which he spent on jewelry, rare coins and luxury vacations while grossly mismanaging his firm's books at the same time, yet the DOJ only brought a CIVIL lawsuit against him
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the SEC -
6/16/25Defamed a top employee at Dominion Voting Systems following the 2020 election by baselessly accusing him of being a traitor and was ordered to pay him $2.3 million in damages
According to a verdict by a federal jury -
Jarrin JacksonFmr. State Sen. Candidate
3/14/25Was found liable for $4M in damages for falsely portraying a Republican political consultant who was affiliated with his primary opponent's campaign as a felon who tried to steal an election
According to a ruling issued by the presiding judge -
1/14/25Improperly purchased a "signification number" of publicly traded Twitter shares at "artificially low prices" because he failed to report his financial stake in the company as required by law
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the SEC -
1/10/25Settled a lawsuit with the SEC for $1.7m for illegally using company funds to secretly pay two women who accused him of sexual assault to keep quiet which caused WWE accountants to accidentally file false financial reports because they were kept in the dark about his payments
According to a settlement agreement announced by the SEC -
Rudy GiulianiFmr. NYC Mayor [R]






4.2m
1/06/25Ignored a court order that mandated he hand over pertinent information to two former George election workers he owed millions of dollars to after losing a defamation case to them
According to a contempt ruling by the presiding judge -
11/17/24Defamed AZ County Recorder Stephen Richer (R) by baselessly accusing him of adding over 300,000 fraudulent ballots to Maricopa County's vote count in order to steal the election from her and then later admitted in court that she had no defense against his lawsuit and forfeited her right to a trial
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the individual she defamed -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
10/21/24Smeared the "Central Park Five" who spent years in prison for a crime they didn't commit by falsely asserting they pled guilty to killing someone when they did no such thing and in fact had their sentences overturned after DNA evidence emerged proving their innocence
According to a federal lawsuit filed by the "Central Park Five" -
Chuck JohnsonPropagandist [R]
10/16/24Was sued by MAGA-friendly investment company Point Bridge Capital for fraud and extortion after he allegedly presented himself as a secret government agent who would sabotage their company unless they agreed to give him and his business partner lopsided investment returns
According to news reports from credible media outlets -
David LoveState Representative
8/23/24Smeared two "drag queen" performers by baselessly accusing them of being sex offenders who behave inappropriately with children when neither allegation was remotely true and later agreed to pay them $100k each to settle a defamation lawsuit they filed against him
According to court records reported by local media outlets -
5/21/24Settled a lawsuit with electronic voting company Smartmatic for $40 million for spreading false 2020 election conspiracy theories that the company helped tilt the election which caused significant defamatory damage to their company brand
According to a settlement agreement reached between the two companies -
Billy OswaldFmr. State Sen. Candidate
5/14/24Paid his former female office manager that he sexually harassed $71,000 in order to settle a lawsuit she filed against him before the trial started
According to court records reported by local media -
One America News
4/16/24Defamed voting technology company Smartmatic with bogus claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election and later secretly settled a lawsuit the firm brought against them for an undisclosed amount in order to avoid going to trial
According to a lawsuit filed by Smartmatic -
Jacob WohlActivist [R]
4/09/24Improperly targeted black voters with robocalls that shared fake information in an attempt to discourage them from voting in the 2020 election and later agreed to pay $1.25 million in fines after the state of New York sued him
According to a civil lawsuit filed by NY Attorney General Letita James -


463kMAGA Enthusiast
3/27/24Fondled Herschel Walker campaign staffer Carlton Huffman in the crotch without his consent and unsuccessfully tried to convince him to go back to his hotel room while also being married and then paid Huffman $480,000 through an insurance policy to settle his sexual harassment lawsuit out of court
According to victim testimony in a report from The Daily Beast -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
1/26/24Was found liable to pay writer E. Jean Carroll an additional $83 million -- $65 million in punitive damages and 18.3 million in reputational and emotional damages -- after he continued to repeatedly defame her long after a previous jury awarded her $5 million in defamation damages
According to news reports from credible media outlets -
1/17/24Settled 14 separate lawsuits brought by former employees who alleged he illegally withheld their overtime pay for an undisclosed amount
According to news reports from credible media outlets -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
1/01/24Lied to potential investors about receiving millions of dollars in secret payments from a company to promote their new video phone on his TV show by promising them his endorsement of the product was "not for any money"
According to a civil lawsuit filed by former investors of the company -
Justin WellsFox News Producer
12/05/23Was sued for "violently" kissing and sexually assaulting a fellow male Fox News producer on two separate occasions even after his advances were rebuffed and for intimidating his victim in to keeping quiet by warning him not to report what happened to Fox's human resources department
According to a lawsuit filed by alleged victim Andrew Delancey -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
9/26/23Defrauded banks in New York by vastly overinflating the value of his assets by as much as $3.6 billion dollars in order to obtain more favorable loan terms in a scheme a judge overseeing his case described as "persistent and repeated fraud" and was ordered to pay a $464 million fine and prohibited from conducting business in New York state for three years
According to a final ruling issued by the judge overseeing the case -
Rudy GiulianiFmr. NYC Mayor [R]






4.2m
9/18/23Was sued for $1.36 million by his former lawyers including one who was a longtime friend for an outstanding legal bill of which he paid off only $214k since 2019
According to a lawsuit filed against him by his former attorneys -
9/13/23Was sued for sexual harassment for making unwanted sexual advances on a male legislative aide and male legislative intern
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victims -
Rudy GiulianiFmr. NYC Mayor [R]






4.2m
8/30/23Lost a defamation lawsuit by Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter for spreading a conspiracy theory that they cast thousands of fraudulent votes for Biden after which despicable zealots made their lives a "living nightmare" with racist and sexist threats, MAGA thugs pushed their way into a family home looking for them and Ruby was forced to vacate her home for 2 months under advice from the FBI which left them both traumatized and fearful for their lives
According to a federal judge who found him liable for defamation -
8/12/23Brazenly and publicly refused a judge's order to appear in court and face the defamation charges brought against him by a local hospital
According to charging documents filed by local police
7/24/23Was found liable for $52.5 million in damages for defaming a local hospital system and inciting a mob to protest outside its building and then fled to another state in a desperate attempt to avoid paying his victims the money
According to news reports from credible media outlets -




22.2mLauded by Trump
7/12/23Baselessly accused a Trump supporter on the Capitol grounds during 1/6 of being a covert government agent who was "the central figure" in inciting the insurrection which led to him receiving numerous death threats and being forced to sell his home and business and relocate to a secluded place to protect himself and his wife
According to a lawsuit filed by the alleged victim -
6/30/23Agreed to pay former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg $12 million to settle a lawsuit she filed against them which accused the network of pressuring her to commit perjury in a legal deposition and of operating a hostile and discriminatory work environment
According to court records first reported by The New York Times -
6/19/23Was sued for $200k by a husband who claimed he used his position to persuade his wife, who was a mid-level state government employee, to engage in a yearslong affair that included instances of group sex and led to the eventual destruction of the couple's marriage
According to a $200,000 civil lawsuit filed by former Republican candidate Scott Lassiter -




22.2mLauded by Trump
6/07/23Was sued by Fox News for breach of contract after he debuted a show on Twitter that violated the terms of his contract with them
According to a civil lawsuit filed by Fox News -




5.2mLauded by Trump
5/31/23Was sued by his former company Project Veritas for spending $150,000 on private cars, $10,000 on a helicopter flight and other frivolous expenses in violation of his contract
According to a civil lawsuit filed by Project Veritas -
Rudy GiulianiFmr. NYC Mayor [R]






4.2m
5/16/23Refused to pay his staffer Noelle Dunphy $1 million in promised wages and repeatedly made excuses to avoid payment until he eventually refused to pay her outright
According to a civil lawsuit filed by former employee Noelle Dunphy reported on by mainstream outlets -
5/11/23Slandered Russian disinformation expert Nina Jankowicz's by repeatedly airing lies about her and the work she does on a number of shows over multiple days which resulted in her receiving numerous threats and having her personal information released online
According to news reports from credible media outlets -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
5/10/23Was found liable to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $5 million in damages for defamation and battery for "sexual abuse" at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City in 1996
Jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation after a civil trial -
Charlie PierceFmr. Mayor [R-AK]19 Years in GOP
4/19/23Sexually harassed his executive assistant with “constant unwanted physical touching, sexual remarks, and sexual advances” and created such a toxic work environment that she felt she couldn't report his misconduct without fear of retaliation and then paid her $237,500 to settle a sexual harassment case she brought against him
According to a lawsuit filed by the alleged victim and first reported on by The Anchorage Daily News -
4/18/23Settled a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million for spreading false 2020 election conspiracy theories about their voting machines which caused significant defamatory damage to their company brand
According to court records and public reporting by mainstream outlets -
Kimberly ReicksSocial Media Influencer
3/10/23Filed a false police report that claimed she witnessed her ex-business partner's teenage son molesting his younger sibling from her home next door which police investigated and quickly determined was a lie
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
Priscilla GiddingsState Representative
3/10/23Unmasked the identity of a 19-year-old victim who was raped by a legislative ally and shared a picture of the victim when she was a minor on her Facebook page that resulted in a sustained torrent of harassment against her online and in public
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the victim and reported on by NBC News -
Aaron von EhlingerFmr. State Representative
3/10/23Unmasked the identity of a 19-year-old victim who accused him of rape by including her name in a formal response to an ethics investigation against him
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the victim and reported on by NBC News -
2/10/23Retaliated against four staffers who reported his alleged corruption to the FBI by maligning them as "rogue employees" and fired or forced them out through other means and later spent $3.3 million in taxpayer dollars to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit which also forced him to apologize for disparaging them
According to a settlement agreement reached between Paxton and the fired staffers -


819kMAGA Enthusiast
1/19/23Was ordered to pay a nearly $1 million fine over her role in spearheading a frivolous and bad-faith lawsuit against Hillary Clinton
According to a ruling by the judge overseeing the case -
9/23/22Was found liable for $120k in damages for violating wiretapping laws after illegally recording multiple conversations inside a Democratic political consulting group which they later "heavily edited" to deceitfully insinuate the group was involved in unscrupulous activities
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the firm Democracy Partners -
7/10/22Secretly paid over $12 million to four women to keep them from going public with their allegations of sexual misconduct and made each of them sign a nondisclosure agreement to ensure their accusations never saw the light of day
According to news reports from credible media outlets -
Dan SnyderNFL OwnerDonated $1.1m to Trump's 1st inaugural
6/21/22Secretly paid $1.6 million to a female Washington Commanders employee who accused him of sexual assault in order to keep her from going public with her allegations
According to an exclusive report by The Washington Post -
Michael GablemanFmr. Justice [R-WI]
6/10/22Repeatedly refused to answer a judge's direction questions about his sham 2020 election investigation even though he was ordered to do so and was eventually held in contempt for his behavior
According to a ruling by a Wisconsin state judge -
5/19/22Exposed his erect penis and rubbed his massage therapists' leg without consent before offering to buy her a horse if she agreed to give him an erotic massage which she declined
Musk's company SpaceX paid the woman $250,000 and made her sign a nondisclosure agreement -
Tim PhillipsFmr. Americans for Prosperity President
12/03/21Settled a workplace discrimination lawsuit for an undisclosed amount with a woman who was skipped over for a promotion as a hiring manager for a less experienced and qualified man who then promptly used his newly gotten authority to fire her
According to an exclusive report by CNBC News -
11/03/21Was sued for defamation by voting machine company Smartmatic for spreading false 2020 election conspiracy theories about their voting machines and for having had falsely accused the company of conspiring to "rig" the election in Joe Biden's favor
According to news reports from credible media outlets -




1.2mMAGA Enthusiast
8/12/21Was sued for defamation by rightwing activist Lawyer Larry Klayman after he called him a child molester
According to a defamation lawsuit filed by Klayman -




6.5mLauded by Trump
7/13/21Routinely harassed Fox News producer Andrea Mackris with graphic sexual conversations at work and over the phone where he made her listen to all of his sexual fantasies about the two of them together while also being married and later paid her $9 million to resolve a sexual harassment lawsuit that she brought against him
According to a settlement agreement reached between O'Reilly and his accuser -
7/01/21Was sued for defamation by disgraced former host Ed Henry because he claimed the network and CEO Suzanne Scott publicly portrayed him as a "sex criminal" and only fired him because Ms. Scott was trying to save face after the explosive allegations against him came to light
According to a civil lawsuit filed in federal court -
10/01/20Sexually harassed an assistant of hers so incessantly that she eventually filed a 42-page complaint against Fox News which resulted in them paying her a secret multimillion-dollar settlement
According to an exclusive report by The New Yorker -
9/15/20Was ordered to pay thousands of dollars in owed back child support and $3,167 per month to a woman he had a baby with during an extramarital affair until the child turns 18
According to a lawsuit filed by former staffer A.J. Delgado -
Byron MallottFmr. Lt. Governor [R-AK]
9/10/20Invited a female public safety officer up to his hotel room under false pretenses and made it clear to her how attracted he was to her while also being married and when she rose to leave the room he vaguely threatened her by reminding her how much he has helped her professionally throughout her career and then secretly paid her an undisclosed amount of money and forced her to sign a nondisclosure agreement after she filed a complaint against him
According to an exclusive report by ProPublica -
Joel GreenbergFmr. Tax Collector [R-FL]
6/23/20Maliciously smeared his GOP primary opponent as being a racist child molester through defamatory posts from fake social media accounts he created
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Trump Campaign
12/24/19Was sued for discrimination by a staffer who alleged the campaign rescinded a job offer in the Trump White House after finding out that she was pregnant with incoming White House communications director Jason Miller's child
According to a civil lawsuit filed by former staffer A.J. Delgado -
Antonio BrownFmr. Conservative Athlete
4/15/19Threw an ottoman, large glass vases and other dangerous objects from the window of his 14th-floor apartment nearly hitting a toddler below and later settled a lawsuit for an undisclosed amount of money after the family sued him
According to a lawsuit filed by the victim's family -
9/26/18Paid former Fox News host Scottie Nell Hughes an undisclosed amount to settle a lawsuit she filed over being "blacklisted" from Fox networks after she publicly accused Fox Business host Charles Payne of raping her
According to court records first reported by The Wrap -
Nick MiccarelliFmr. State Representative
3/13/18Pinned down and raped a political consultant in her bed after she made it unambiguously clear to him that she was not interested in being intimate that evening and then smeared her by publicly outing her on social media
The alleged victim confided in a co-worker about the assault the next morning, -
Steve WynnFmr. Wynn Resorts CEODonated 14.4m to Republican causes in 2020
1/27/18Coerced a manicurist who worked at one of his hotels to remove her clothing and have sex with him while also being married and later secretly paid her $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit she filed against him
According to an exclusive report by The wall Street Journal -
Pat MeehanFmr. U.S. Representative46 Years in GOP
1/20/18Propositioned an aide who was decades younger than him to become romantically involved while also being married and then made her life in the office so miserable after she rebuffed his advances that she quit and sued him for sexual harassment, which resulted in him secretly spending thousands of taxpayer dollars to settle
Confirmed by a total of 7 office employees and acquaintances in an exclusive report by The New York Times -
1/10/18Sexually harassed a female producer and then secretly worked with Fox News to privately settle her complaint with a deal that allowed her to extend her stay in the U.S. since she wasn't an American citizen
According to interviews with former colleagues at Fox News and reported by NPR -
Roger AilesFmr. Fox News CEO
12/20/17Solicited Fox News contributor Julie Roginsky for sex during private meetings while also being married and then retaliated against her after she rebuffed his advances by denying her a promotion to host her own show and drastically reduced her on-air appearances which resulted in him and Fox News secretly paying her an undisclosed amount of money to settle a lawsuit she filed against him
Ailes and Fox News secretly paid her to keep quiet -
Blake FarentholdFmr. U.S. RepresentativeTea Party Enthusiast
12/04/17Openly talked with a male aide about "sexual fantasies" and "wet dreams" he had about his female communications director Lauren Greene and fired her after shortly after she filed a formal complaint and then secretly paid her $84,000 in taxpayer funds from a secretive "Office of Compliance" account after she agreed to drop a federal lawsuit she filed against him
12/04/17Settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with a confidentiality agreement for $84,000 using a secret taxpayer funded account which kept it from the public for years
According to an exclusive report by Politico -
Iowa Senate Republicans
7/18/17Were ordered to pay $2.2 million to a sexual harassment victim who was fired a mere seven hours after she filed a memo that accused the group of turning a blind eye to a "boys club" culture in the statehouse
According to a jury verdict reached in a sexual harassment suit filed against them -




6.5mLauded by Trump
4/06/17Sexually harassed Fox Business host Rebecca Diamond in such a manner that she decided to record him to have proof of his behavior which led to him and Fox News secretly paying her an undisclosed amount in order to keep her from going public with her recordings
Caught on tape, O'Reilly and Fox News secretly paid her to keep quietIncessantly tried and failed to convince Fox News host Juliet Huddy to have a sexual relationship with him over repeated phone calls during which she reported it sometimes sounded like he was masturbating and in person (he once answered the door to his hotel room in his boxer shorts after he asked her to return a room key he supposedly needed) and then had Fox News secretly pay her a high six-figure nondisclosure agreement to keep her from going public with her accusations
Fox News secretly settled Huddy's lawsuit -
Dan KirbyFmr. State Representative
12/23/16Secretly paid $44,500 in taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by his former assistant that he fired after she complained about his behavior
According to reports by local and state media -
Roger AilesFmr. Fox News CEO
7/06/16Solicited anchor Gretchen Carlson for sexual favors while also being married and then punished her professionally after she refused his advances in a manner so egregious that Fox News settled a lawsuit she filed for $20 million dollars
According to the details of a civil settlement and public apology Fox News gave Ms. Carlson -




5.2mLauded by Trump
3/08/13Paid $100k to settle a lawsuit brought by an employee of an NGO helping lower income families who he smeared as supporting criminal behavior through a deceptively edited secret recording leaving out the key fact he called the police on them immediately after
According to the results of a civil lawsuit brought by the victim -
3/15/12Was sued for illegally firing without cause a staffer who had an extramarital affair with the MN Senate GOP Leader and later agreed to pay $30,000 to settle the wrongful termination lawsuit he brought against the State Senate
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the fired staffer -




5.2mLauded by Trump
9/29/10Paid a five-figure settlement to CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau over a disgusting failed attempt to smear her reputation by recording her aboard a boat filled with inappropriate sexualized items including sex toys
According to an exclusive repor by CNN -
Kevin GarnFmr. State Representative36 Years in GOP
3/12/10Got naked with a 15-year-old girl in a hot tub when he was in his late twenties and later paid her $150,000 to keep quiet when he ran for US Congress
According to the woman who went to the media to tell her story and confirmed by Garn -
Don SherwoodFmr. U.S. Representative
7/21/05Physically abused his paramour multiple times throughout their yearslong extramarital affair and then paid her $500k to settle a lawsuit she filed against him with the stipulation that she would get less if she went public
According to a lawsuit filed by his former paramour -
Was found liable to pay $416,000 to two former employees for unpaid overtime, damages and attorney's fees

According to news reports from credible media outlets
Scandal Tracker Pages
Follow our Bluesky scandal pages:





















