On Monday, members of the “Central Park Five” began suing former President Donald J. Trump over “false and defamatory” statements he allegedly made during last month’s presidential debate.
The five plaintiffs — Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Antron Brown, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — claim that Trump spoke with “reckless disregard” when he said they “badly hurt a person, killed a person” in an April 1989 attack involving a woman in New York City. They are seeking punitive and compensatory damages, claiming “severe emotional distress.”
After being pressured into giving false confessions, the “Central Park Five” (then teenagers) were exonerated in 2002 thanks to DNA evidence. The teenagers sued the city, settling the case in 2014.
“Defendant Trump’s statements were false and defamatory in numerous respects,” the men’s attorneys stated. “Plaintiffs 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.”
