Central Park 5 Sue Trump for Defamation After He Again Blamed Them for Crime During Presidential Debate

The five men who were wrongly accused and convicted of a brutal New York City assault in 1989, now known as the “Central Park 5,” on Monday sued former President Donald Trump for defamation after he once again asserted they were responsible for the crime and falsely claimed a victim had died during a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last month.

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Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise and Yusef Salaam filed the claim against Trump in federal court in Pennsylvania Monday, claiming the former president defamed them, painted them in an offensive false light and intentionally inflicted emotional distress by making his claims on the national debate stage.

In response to a comment from Vice President Kamala Harris about Trump’s lengthy history with the Central Park 5, Trump claimed during the debate the group had pleaded guilty to the assault before changing their plea to not guilty, and said they “killed a person ultimately.”

Neither claim is true—the men never pled guilty to any crime associated with the attack and the victim, Trisha Meili, now 64, is still alive.

The five men maintained their innocence throughout their trial, conviction and years spent in prison before they were exonerated in 2002 following the confession of convicted rapist and murderer Matias Reyes.

Trump has, in claims dating back to 1989, repeatedly asserted the men are guilty of the crime and said during the 2016 presidential election, “the fact that that case was settled with so much evidence against them is outrageous.”

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