Exonerated “Central Park 5” Taking Legal Action Against Trump For Defamation

The Exonerated “Central Park 5” men are now suing Donald Trump — someone who already has a controversial history with them.

The five men — consisting of Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise — have filed a defamation lawsuit against the former President after he reignited old flames during a recent debate with VP Kamala Harris. In Trump’s speech, he insisted, once again, that the men were “guilty” of raping a jogger in 1989, while also falsely claiming that other victims had died.

However, the men were wrongfully accused and convicted of the harrowing assault in New York City where they served sentences ranging from seven to 13 years. They were finally vacated of all crimes against them in 2002.

The men are suing Trump for spreading “false, misleading, and defamatory” statements during the ABC News presidential debate on Sept. 10. During the debate, Trump responded to Harris’ mention of his infamous 1989 full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the execution of the men, who were teenagers at the time.

“[T]hey come up with things like what she just said going back many, many years when a lot of people including Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg agreed with me on the ‘Central Park 5,’” he stated before the entire nation on TV. “They admitted — they said, they pled guilty. And I said, ‘Well, if they pled guilty they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately.’ Then they pled ‘we’re not guilty.’”

His statement contradicts what really happened, as the lawsuit firmly disputes that none of the five men ever entered a guilty plea and none of the Central Park victims were killed. Additionally, at the time of their arrest, Ed Koch was the mayor of NYC — whom reportedly did not agree with Trump’s position in the full-page ad.

The suit declares that Trump’s remarks during the debate were “extreme and outrageous,” and caused “severe emotional distress.”

Their attorneys are seeking damages for emotional distress and defamation.

Salaam, who is sits as a NYC councilman, attended the debate where he attempted to confront Trump in the press room afterward. He reportedly called out, “Will you apologize to the Exonerated Five?” to which Trump confusingly responded: “Ah, you’re on my side then.” Salaam clarified, “No, no, no, I’m not on your side.”

Twelve years after the Exonerated Five were vacated of charges in 2002, they secured a $41 million settlement from NYC. And the city did not admit any wrongdoing. Since then, Salaam has taken on a political career; as all of the other men have, too, advocated for criminal justice reform in one way or another.