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I read an article in my newspaper today about the vast number of lawsuits filed against current US President Trump. I can't recall any lawsuits against previous presidents, but I admit that I may not be well-informed.

Have any lawsuits been successful against a sitting US president? To be clear, I'm looking for a lawsuit against the president himself, rather than a particular bill or government agency.

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    There was the Obamacare lawsuit. Not sure if a lawsuit against a president's bill is what you're talking about or specific suits against the man.
    – userLTK
    Mar 31, 2017 at 1:29
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    @userLTK I'm interested in specific suits against the man, rather than their bill. I've edited the question to clarify.
    – Thunderforge
    Mar 31, 2017 at 2:02
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    @Thunderforge The case in my answer was against Bill Clinton himself, not any agency
    – David says Reinstate Monica
    Mar 31, 2017 at 2:27
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    @DavidGrinberg Yup, you've definitely found a case that I'm interested in. I'll leave the question open for a while though to see if any other answers emerge before deciding to accept.
    – Thunderforge
    Mar 31, 2017 at 2:36

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I think the most important case here is Clinton v. Jones. First, it's a case that Bill Clinton lost while he was a sitting president; so that directly answers your question.

More importantly, it held that a sitting president is no different than a private citizen for actions done before or during a presidency that are not official actions of the office. In other words, the Supreme Court held that the president can be sued even while he is in office.

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    Clinton v. Jones wasn't the lawsuit that Bill Clinton lost. It was the Supreme Court case that allowed the lawsuit against Clinton, Jones v. Clinton, to proceed. Clinton settled that lawsuit before it went to trial. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Jones#Jones_v._Clinton
    – Ross Ridge
    Mar 31, 2017 at 5:40
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    @RossRidge there are two Clinton v Jones cases. Clinton lost one and settled the other
    – David says Reinstate Monica
    Mar 31, 2017 at 11:12
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    No, there was only one Clinton v Jones case. It was the Supreme Court case you linked. That case was an appeal of Jones v Clinton, a case before the US Court of Appeals, Eight Circuit, which in turn was an appeal of certain pre-trial decisions made in Jones v Clinton a lawsuit before United States Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Bill Clinton lost all three cases, the courts in the two appeal cases deciding against him and he settled the lawsuit for the full claimed amount before the trial actually stated.
    – Ross Ridge
    Mar 31, 2017 at 17:46
  • A should add there was also second Jones v Clinton case before the 8th Circuit, an appeal of the District Court's summary judgment and dismissal of the Jones v Clinton lawsuit before it. This appeal was withdrawn when Bill Clinton settled.
    – Ross Ridge
    Mar 31, 2017 at 18:13

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