President-elect Donald Trump has requested a federal court to dismiss a defamation lawsuit stemming from his comments about the Central Park Five, a group of five Black and Hispanic men exonerated of a brutal 1989 assault and rape in New York City’s Central Park.
Trump’s attorneys argue that his remarks, made during a September 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, are protected under the First Amendment as free speech. According to Reuters, they claim his statements constitute opinion on a matter of public concern, rather than defamatory accusations.
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The defamation lawsuit, filed in October by Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise, alleges that Trump’s remarks falsely accused them of the crime and caused severe emotional distress. The five men, teenagers at the time of the crime, were exonerated in 2002 after DNA evidence and a confession by the actual perpetrator, Matias Reyes, absolved them.
During the debate, Trump reportedly reiterated false claims about the case, suggesting the five were guilty despite their exoneration. The lawsuit highlights Trump’s 1989 call for their execution and asserts that his recent statements further tarnished their reputations.
“Defendant Trump falsely stated [at the debate] that Plaintiffs killed an individual and pled guilty to the crime,” the civil suit reads. “These statements are demonstrably false. 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.”
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Trump’s legal team maintains that his remarks are protected under the First Amendment, framing them as opinions on a historically significant case. However, the plaintiffs’ attorney, Shanin Specter, argues that the statements are factually incorrect and defamatory.
“We look forward to taking discovery and proceeding to trial,” Specter said.
Last November, U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson, a George W. Bush appointee, recused himself from the case due to personal ties with Specter. The lawsuit will now be reassigned within the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where it was initially filed.
The Central Park Five—Salaam, Santana, Richardson, Brown, and Wise—were wrongly convicted of attacking investment banker Trisha Meili during her evening jog in Central Park in 1989. Meili’s assault was so severe that medical professionals expected her to succumb to her injuries, prompting homicide considerations by the district attorney’s office. However, years later, DNA evidence and Reyes’s confession led to the men’s exoneration.
Despite their vindication, Trump has continued to cast doubt on their innocence. His 1989 public call for their execution, through a full-page newspaper ad, remains a point of contention and was highlighted during the debate by Vice President Harris.
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