The Exonerated Five, formerly known as the Central Park Five, filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for defamation.
The lawsuit stemmed from the GOP nominee making false comments about their case during the Sept. 10 Presidential Debate. According to the Associated Press, they filed the federal lawsuit on Oct. 21. They have asked for a jury trial in an effort to receive damages.
“Defendant Trump falsely stated that plaintiffs killed an individual and pled guilty to the crime. These statements are demonstrably false,” detailed the legal filing.
During the debate, Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, mentioned his history of further vilifying the proven innocent men for the case. He responded, further perpetuating the false narrative surrounding the group. The Neighborhood Talk reposted a clip of his words.
“They admitted, they said they pled guilty, and I said, ’Well, if they pled guilty, they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately … And they pled guilty, then they pled not guilty,” Trump said.
At the time of the 1989 incident, in which a white woman was raped and assaulted while jogging through Central Park, Trump purchased a full-page newspaper ad that called for the reinstatement of the death penalty. Many thought the advertisement alluded to executing the then-teenagers. Past and present opposers believed the act had racist motivations.
In his newest words, Trump continued to suggest that the men held some guilt in the case. Given his infamous connection to their case, Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise have decided to take legal action against the former president for his harmful words about them. Notably, Trump has also never apologized for the news ad.
Trump’s team deemed the lawsuit “frivolous” and in line with his election interference accusations.
A Trump spokesman called it “just another frivolous, Election Interference lawsuit, filed by desperate left-wing activists, in an attempt to distract the American people from Kamala Harris’s dangerously liberal agenda and failing campaign.”
In adulthood, the Exonerated Five have campaigned for Harris throughout the election. One member, Salaam, also holds office as a New York City Councilman. As they seek justice for Trump’s words, they continue to hit the campaign trail to rally support for Harris.
RELATED CONTENT: Yusef Salaam, Central Park 5 Exoneree Turned NYC Council Candidate, Champions Forgiveness And Advocacy For New York City
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