The Central Park Five, a group of men wrongfully convicted for the 1989 rape and assault of a jogger, have filed a defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump over his comments about their case during the last presidential debate. While arguing the point with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump incorrectly claimed that the men pleaded guilty to killing someone, despite their exoneration in 2002 based on new DNA evidence.
“They admitted — they said, they pled guilty,” Trump said on the debate stage. “And I said, well, if they pled guilty they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately. And if they pled guilty — then they pled we’re not guilty.”
The five plaintiffs–Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise–were teenagers when they were indicted, and all claim to have confessed to the rape and assault under duress from police. However, contrary to Trump’s statement, the victim of the attack survived, and all five defendants recanted their confessions and pled not guilty, though they were ultimately convicted.
After their exoneration in 2002, New York City agreed to pay them $41 million in compensation.
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The lawsuit, filed in Pennsylvania, argues that Trump’s statements caused severe emotional distress and reputational harm, noting that the men maintained their innocence throughout their legal troubles. Trump’s remarks during the debate were broadcast to millions and have drawn significant criticism, especially since he previously advocated for the death penalty in relation to the case in full-page ads in multiple New York newspapers.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung denounced the suit as “just another frivolous, Election Interference lawsuit, filed by desperate left-wing activists, in an attempt to distract the American people from Kamala Harris’ dangerously liberal agenda and failing campaign.”
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for the emotional and reputational damage caused by Trump’s statements.
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