Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown and Korey Wise, the five men wrongfully convicted of the 1989 rape of a woman in Central Park, have filed a defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump over comments he made about them during his presidential debate with vice president Kamala Harris last month.
During the debate, Trump remarked, “They admitted — they said, they pled guilty. 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” — a “demonstrably false” statement as outlined in the court documents.
“Plaintiffs never pled guilty to any crime and were subsequently cleared of all wrongdoing. Further, the victims of the Central Park assaults were not killed,” the complaint reads.
Trump’s history with the Exonerated Five goes back to May of 1989, when he published a full-page ad in four New York newspapers, calling for the city to bring back the death penalty.
ALERT: "Central Park 5" file defamation suit against Donald Trump
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) October 21, 2024
They allege Trump engaged in defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress w/ statements at Sept 10 Presidential debate in Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/ZRNrSSpjGW
The teenagers faced a string of serious charges, including attempted murder, rape, sodomy, assault, robbery, sexual abuse and riot. Each of the five pleaded not guilty but were ultimately convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Their convictions were overturned years later when Matias Reyes, an inmate, confessed to the crime, with DNA evidence subsequently substantiating his admission. In 2002, the convictions of the Central Park Five were vacated, and in 2014, New York City settled a civil lawsuit, awarding the men $41 million.
Donald Trump took out a full-page newspaper ad calling for the execution of innocent Black and Latino boys: The Central Park Five.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 14, 2024
Trump has a long history of racism—and his Project 2025 plan would give him virtually unchecked power over Black Americans’ lives and bodies. pic.twitter.com/BSUocGERSo
Their suit claims of defamation, false light and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The Exonerated Five are requesting damages of more than $75,000, with total compensatory and punitive damages to be decided at trial.
