President-elect Donald Trump has asked a judge to dismiss the defamation lawsuit against him filed by the Central Park Five, claiming it is “legally insufficient and meritless.”
“Plaintiffs’ attempt to use the courts to silence political discourse is barred by Pennsylvania’s robust protections for free speech,” Trump’s legal team wrote in a Tuesday letter to Judge Wendy Beetlestone. “Pennsylvania’s anti-SLAPP statute provides immunity for ‘protected public expression’ on matters of public concern, including statements made during a political debate, shielding defendants from meritless lawsuits designed to chill free speech.”
The update came a month after the Exonerated Five — Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown (formerly known as Antron McCray) and Korey Wise — sued Trump for falsely stating in his September debate against Vice President Kamala Harris that the men initially pled guilty to the 1989 assault and rape, as opposed to merely admitting guilt during police questioning.
“His technically incorrect use of the legal terminology ‘pled guilty’ does not render the statement substantially false, particularly where the effect on the lay audience listener would be the same as the truth (which is that Plaintiffs ‘admitted’ guilt),” Trump’s lawyers wrote in the letter, which was obtained by TheWrap. “Minor inaccuracies in terminology do not constitute defamation.”
“President-Elect Trump further emphasized that his views reflected widespread public sentiment of the era, contextualizing his comments as part of a broader discussion on crime and justice,” they continued. “No reasonable listener would interpret these statements as newly asserting that Plaintiffs are guilty of the Central Park crimes, particularly since President-Elect Trump acknowledged during the debate that Plaintiffs were ultimately exonerated.”
Trump’s team further insisted his “comments during the debate contextualized his 1989 actions and relied on Plaintiffs’ own admissions at the time, with no misrepresentation of material facts.”
The former “Celebrity Apprentice” host infamously took out full-page ads in four New York City newspapers in May of 1989, calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty in the wake of the Central Park attack and has since refused to apologize — including after the 2024 debate in question. The city of New York settled a civil rights lawsuit with the five men for $41 million in 2014.
The formal request also came just days after he filed to have the first judge — Judge Michael M. Baylson — recused due to his relationship with the Exonerated Five’s legal counsel. That filing occurred last Thursday, and he was replaced by Judge Beetlestone on Monday.
If the case is not thrown out, the group of men is seeking a jury trial, as well as compensatory and punitive damages from Trump in excess of $75,000. Though not technically exonerated, their sentences were vacated in 2002.
