The men formerly known as the “Central Park Five” – now the “Exonerated Five” – filed a federal civil lawsuit in Pennsylvania on Monday accusing Donald Trump of defaming them at the September presidential debate when he said they had initially pleaded guilty to killing someone.
The filing, first reported by CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane, says Trump’s statements about the 35-year-old case — specifically, when he said on the debate stage that the men initially pleaded guilty to a brutal assault and rape in New York City, falsely adding that someone was killed in the attack — were defamatory, causing them emotional distress and harm to their reputations.
Trump’s statements were part of a response to criticism from Vice President Kamala Harris during the Sept. 10 debate in Philadelphia. The plaintiffs, now civil rights advocates, authors and public figures, maintain that they never pleaded guilty and emphasize that they were exonerated more than two decades ago. They included a link to video of the debate exchange in question.
The plaintiffs — Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown (formerly known as Antron McCray) and Korey Wise — were teenagers when they were wrongfully convicted of the 1989 crime. Salaam said in the lawsuit that he was at the Sept. 10 debate and encountered Trump in the post-event “spin room.”
“As Defendant Trump approached Plaintiff Salaam, other attendees asked Defendant Trump, ‘Will you apologize to the Exonerated Five?’ and ‘Sir, what do you say to a member of the Central Park Five, sir?,’” according to the lawsuit.
When Trump didn’t respond, Salaam said to him: “President Trump, I’m Yusef Salaam, one of the Exonerated Five. How are you doing?”
According to court papers, Trump responded, “Ah, you’re on my side then.” Salaam replied that he was not and Trump simply waved his hand, smiled and walked away.
Trump 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 attack and has since refused to apologize. The city of New York settled a civil rights lawsuit with the five men for $41 million in 2014.
Plaintiffs seek compensatory and punitive damages from Trump in excess of $75,000, alleging that the former president’s conduct is part of a longstanding pattern of defamation stretching back to 1989. They are seeking a jury trial.
Tension between Trump and the Exonerated Five is longstanding, with the former president repeatedly making false claims about the case. Neither Trump nor his campaign immediately responded to the lawsuit.
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