Donald Trump Faces Defamation Lawsuit from Exonerated 'Central Park Five'
A defamation lawsuit has been filed by the 'Central Park Five' against former President Donald Trump for false statements made during a 2020 debate. The five men were wrongfully convicted of rape in 1989 but were later exonerated. Trump claimed they pled guilty, which is false, and they now seek damages through a jury trial.
In a new legal development, the 'Central Park Five,' five men wrongfully convicted of rape in a high-profile 1989 case in New York, have filed a defamation lawsuit against former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The suit, which was lodged in a Pennsylvania federal court, charges Trump with making false statements during a September 2020 presidential debate in Philadelphia.
Trump allegedly claimed that Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise, who were falsely convicted and later exonerated in 2002, 'pled guilty' to the crime and were involved in death.
This statement is inaccurate as the men were cleared of all charges and received a $41 million settlement from New York City in 2014.
The lawsuit highlights Trump's past actions, including a contentious advertisement calling for the death penalty after the initial conviction.
The 'Central Park Five' seek a jury trial and are asking for unspecified damages.