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'Central Park Five' members sue Trump for defamation after his debate comments on 1989 case
Members of the 鈥淐entral Park Five鈥 on Monday over 鈥渇alse and defamatory鈥 statements they allege he made about their 1989 case during a presidential debate last month.
The five men claim in a federal lawsuit that Trump knew he was acting with 鈥渞eckless disregard鈥 for the truth when he said during the September debate with U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris that they pleaded guilty to crimes connected to the beating and raping of a woman in New York City, and that the five teenagers 鈥渂adly hurt a person, killed a person鈥 in the attack.
鈥淒efendant Trump鈥檚 statements were false and defamatory in numerous respects,鈥 attorneys for the men, now all in their 50s, wrote in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Philadelphia. 鈥淧laintiffs never pled guilty to the Central Park assaults. Plaintiffs all pled not guilty and maintained their innocence throughout their trial and incarceration, as well as after they were released from prison.鈥
鈥淣one of the victims of the Central Park assaults were killed,鈥 the lawyers for Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown and Korey Wise wrote.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung called the lawsuit 鈥渏ust another frivolous, Election Interference lawsuit鈥 that he claimed was brought to 鈥渄istract the American people from Kamala Harris鈥檚 dangerously liberal agenda and failing campaign.鈥
The men are seeking compensatory and punitive damages. The suit also claims that Trump鈥檚 comments placed them in a false light and caused them to 鈥渟uffer severe emotional distress.鈥
The group was pressured into giving false confessions in the case. They were exonerated in 2002 when DNA evidence linked another person to the crime. The teenagers sued the city, and the case was settled in 2014.
Trump has long been outspoken on the case, which rocked New York in the late 1980s during a time when he was a leading figure in the city鈥檚 real estate and celebrity scenes. At the time, Trump took out full-page ads that ran in several New York City newspapers that read in all-caps, 鈥淏RING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!鈥
His comments last month came in response to Harris bringing up the ad during a portion of the debate dedicated to race and politics in the US.
鈥淟et鈥檚 remember, this is the same individual who took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the execution of five young Black and Latino boys who were innocent, the Central Park Five,鈥 Harris said. 鈥淭ook out a full-page ad calling for their execution.鈥
One of the ads Trump purchased was included as an exhibit in the lawsuit.
The former president has sought to project a tough-on-crime persona during his three White House bids, and the debate comments underscored his willingness to invoke racially and politically charged criminal cases in US history in that pursuit.
Trump has continued to be critical of the case as he鈥檚 moved into politics in recent years. In October 2016, then-candidate Trump stood by his actions during the time of the case, telling CNN, 鈥淭hey admitted they were guilty.鈥
And in 2014, Trump wrote in an op-ed in the New York Daily News that New York City鈥檚 US$41 million settlement with the five men was 鈥渁 disgrace.鈥
CNN鈥檚 Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
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