Acquitted ‘Central Park Five’ filed defamation lawsuit against Trump over debate remarks

Donald Trump was sued by five men involved in the Central Park case – now known as the Exonerated Five. The group is suing the Republican presidential candidate over comments he made during the last presidential debate.

The defamation lawsuit filed by Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise centers on Trump’s claim during the debate that they pleaded guilty at trial in connection with the 1989 assault and rape of a jogger in Central Park. Trump also falsely claimed the victim had died.

During the debate, Trump said: “They pleaded guilty – they said, they pleaded guilty. And I replied, well, if they confess, they severely injure the person and ultimately kill him. And if they plead guilty, they will admit that we are not guilty.”

However, none of the men pleaded guilty during the trial, and the victim survived the attack.

The complaint said Trump’s statements are “demonstrably false,” stating: “Plaintiffs never pleaded guilty to any wrongdoing and were subsequently cleared of all wrongdoing. Moreover, the victim of the Central Park attack did not die.” The complaint also notes that the five men, now in their 50s, “were injured as a result of defendant Trump’s false and defamatory statements.”

The five men, who were teenagers at the time of the indictment, maintained their innocence throughout their trial and imprisonment. They were accused of attacking a jogger, as well as other assaults and robberies that took place in Central Park.

The men spent years in prison before being acquitted in 2002 when DNA evidence linked another man, a serial rapist, to the attack. The city ultimately agreed to pay the acquitted men $41 million in a legal settlement.

The case attracted widespread attention, with the men claiming they were intimidated and forced to give false testimony.

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At the time, the case was being heard amid heightened racial tensions and rising crime rates. Trump, then a real estate tycoon, took out large newspaper ads calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty in New York.

Dissatisfied with Trump’s recent comments, the five men are seeking relief in a defamation lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The complaint also notes that Yusef Salaam, currently a New York City Council member representing the Ninth District, was present at the debate and heard Trump’s statements firsthand.

Although the men did not seek a specific amount of damages, they did ask for a hearing to determine appropriate compensation.

In response, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, “This is yet another frivolous election interference lawsuit filed by desperate left-wing activists trying to distract the American people from Kamala Harris’ dangerously liberal agenda and failed campaign.”

Shanin Specter, a lawyer for the Exonerated Five, said: “Unfortunately, the civil justice system does not allow us to demand that Trump apologize or retract his testimony. The only thing we can obtain is monetary damages to compensate these five men for the damage to their reputations and to punish Mr. Trump for making these statements.”

While Specter acknowledged that it would be “helpful” if Trump apologized or retracted his remarks, he added: “We’re not holding our breath on this.”

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