'Focal Park Five' individuals sue Trump for criticism after his discussion remarks on 1989 case
On Monday, members of the “Central Park Five” filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, accusing him of making “false and defamatory” statements about their 1989 case during a recent presidential debate.
The five men allege in the federal lawsuit that Trump acted with “reckless disregard” for the truth when he claimed during the September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that they had pleaded guilty to crimes related to the beating and rape of a woman in Central Park. Trump also allegedly stated that the teenagers “badly hurt a person, killed a person” in the incident.
“Defendant Trump’s statements were false and defamatory in numerous respects,” the lawsuit, filed in a Philadelphia federal court, reads. Attorneys for the men, now in their 50s, emphasized that their clients never pleaded guilty to the Central Park assaults and consistently maintained their innocence throughout their trials, incarceration, and after their release.
The lawyers representing Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, and Korey Wise also noted that none of the victims in the Central Park assaults were killed.
The men are seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, claiming that Trump’s comments caused them severe emotional distress and placed them in a false light. Trump’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
The group, known as the "Central Park Five," was coerced into giving false confessions during the 1989 case. They were exonerated in 2002 when DNA evidence identified another individual as the perpetrator. The teenagers later sued the City of New York, leading to a settlement in 2014.
Donald Trump, a prominent figure in New York's real estate and celebrity circles in the late 1980s, has been vocal about the case since it first shook the city. At the time, Trump placed full-page ads in several New York City newspapers with the bold, all-caps message: “BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!”
His recent comments, made during a presidential debate, were in response to Vice President Kamala Harris mentioning those ads during a discussion on race and politics in the U.S. Harris highlighted Trump’s actions, stating, "Let’s 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. Took out a full-page ad calling for their execution.”
One of the ads Trump purchased was included as evidence in the lawsuit.
Throughout his three White House campaigns, the former president has portrayed himself as tough on crime, often referencing racially and politically charged criminal cases in U.S. history to support this image. His remarks during the debate reflected his continued willingness to invoke such cases.
Even as he transitioned into politics, Trump remained critical of the Central Park Five case. In October 2016, as a presidential candidate, Trump defended his stance, telling CNN, "They admitted they were rofguilty." Earlier, in 2014, Trump penned an op-ed in the *New York Daily News*, criticizing the $41 million settlement New York City reached with the five men, calling it "a disgrace."
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