In a stunning development, the five men known as the Central Park Five have filed a defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, accusing him of making false statements with “reckless disregard” for the truth during a recent presidential debate. The explosive allegations stem from Trump’s claim that the men pleaded guilty to the notorious 1989 attack on a Central Park jogger, despite their convictions being overturned in 2002.
A Shocking Debate Moment Sparks Legal Action
The defamation suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, centers around a heated exchange during the September 10th debate between Trump and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris. When Harris brought up Trump’s controversial 1989 newspaper ads calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty in response to the Central Park jogger case, Trump falsely asserted that the five men had pleaded guilty and “killed a person.”
In reality, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, and Korey Wise – all minors at the time of their arrest – consistently maintained their innocence throughout the trial and their subsequent incarceration. Their convictions were vacated in 2002 when serial rapist and murderer Matias Reyes confessed to the crime, with DNA evidence corroborating his admission.
Defendant Trump’s conduct at the September 10 debate was extreme and outrageous, and it was intended to cause severe emotional distress to Plaintiffs.
Lawsuit filed by the Central Park Five
A History of Inflammatory Rhetoric
Trump’s debate comments were not the first time he has insisted on the guilt of the Central Park Five, even after their exoneration. In 2014, he penned an op-ed for the New York Daily News calling the $41 million settlement they received from New York City “the heist of the century.” While president in 2019, he continued to assert that “you have people on both sides” of the case.
The lawsuit alleges that Trump acted with “reckless disregard” for the truth and with the intent to cause “severe emotional distress” to the plaintiffs. It also notes that no one was killed in the 1989 attack, contrary to Trump’s debate claim, and that he misstated the name of New York’s mayor at the time.
An Emotional Confrontation and a Demand for Justice
According to the court filing, plaintiff Yusef Salaam, now a New York City Council member, was present at the debate and approached Trump, asking him to apologize to “the exonerated five.” Trump allegedly turned to Salaam and said, “Are you on my side then,” to which Salaam replied, “No, no, no, I’m not on your side.”
The Trump campaign has dismissed the lawsuit as “just another frivolous, election interference lawsuit, filed by desperate leftwing activists,” but for the men who lost years of their lives to wrongful imprisonment, the fight for justice continues. As the nation grapples with issues of racial equity and criminal justice reform, the Central Park Five case remains a haunting reminder of the devastating consequences of rushing to judgment and the importance of reckoning with the past.
With the defamation suit now pending, all eyes will be on the courts to see if the Central Park Five can finally hold Donald Trump accountable for his inflammatory rhetoric and secure a measure of long-overdue justice. As the legal battle unfolds, it is sure to reignite a national conversation about race, power, and the pursuit of truth in the face of adversity.
