The lawsuit alleges that Donald Trump defamed the Central Park Five by making derogatory and misleading statements during his 2024 presidential election campaign.
A federal judge has refused President Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by members of the “Central Park Five,” all falsely arrested and convicted for the 1989 rape of a white jogger in New York City.
According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone said that the men have presented enough evidence to proceed in their claims against Trump. Filed last October on behalf of plaintiffs Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise, the lawsuit alleges that Trump defamed the Central Park Five by making derogatory and misleading statements during his 2024 presidential election campaign.
Shanin Specter, attorney representing the plaintiffs, told Reuters that he welcomes Beetlestone’s ruling and that his clients “look forward to discovery, trial, and the ultimate vindication of these five fine men.”
Attorneys for Trump, in contrast, have lambasted the action as “baseless.”
“This baseless lawsuit is yet another unfounded and meritless attack against President Trump,” said Karin Sweigart, an attorney representing the president.
Reuters notes that the Central Park Five were vindicated in 2002, based on the presentation of new DNA evidence and another person’s confession.
In his September 10 debate with then-Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, Trump said that the men had killed someone and pleaded guilty.
“They admitted—they said, they pled guilty,” Trump said. “And I said, well, if they pled guilty, they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately.”
“And if they pled guilty,” Trump said, “then they pled we’re not guilty.”
Attorneys for the Central Park Five were quick to point out that their clients had been coerced into making false statements—statements that they all quickly recanted. They never pleaded guilty; the victim of the assault, Trisha Meili, sustained disabling injuries but survived the attack and is still alive.
In court filings, though, Trump claimed that his statements about the Central Park Five constitute protected speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Despite his remarks being demonstrably false, he has denied any wrongdoing.
“We firmly believe the entire case should have been dismissed and will continue fighting to protect the First Amendment rights of not just the President, but all Americans,” Sweigart said in a statement.
Beetlestone, though, determined that Trump’s statement about the Central Park Five “must be construed as one of fact, not opinion,” as it can be “objectively determined” that the men did not plead guilty and did not kill anyone.
Sources
Trump must face Central Park 5 defamation suit, judge rules
Trump must face defamation lawsuit from Central Park Five defendants
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