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The Exonerated Five, formerly known as the “Central Park Five,” have filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. This lawsuit follows Trump’s statements about the men at the September presidential debate.
On September 10th, the first and only presidential debate between Madam Vice President, Kamala Harris and former U.S. President Donald Trump occurred at the National Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Trump Falsely Proclaimed Statements
During the debate, he stated that the men pleaded guilty to an April 1989 rape case in New York City’s Central Park and that the victim had died.
“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 if they pled guilty — then they pled we’re not guilty.”
During the time of trial, every one of them plead not guilty, and the victim survived the attack.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign spokesman, claimed that the lawsuit is “an attempt to distract the American people from Kamala Harris’s dangerously liberal agenda and failing campaign.”
Even though they were cleared of all charges, they argue the false statements are detrimental to their careers.
Shanin Specter, an attorney for the Exonerated Five, explained that Trump does not have to apologize for his incorrect claims, but “the most that we can obtain are money damages both to compensate these five men for Mr. Trump’s damaging their reputations and for punishment of Mr. Trump for making these statements.”
Who are The Exonerated Five?
The Exonerated Five, formerly known as the Central Park Five, were indicted as teenagers, between the ages of 14 and 16. They were wrongfully convicted of a crime. Five Black and Latino boys: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise were all convicted of the crime.
Scrutinized, ridiculed, and judged in the public eye, the young teens were failed by the criminal justice system, exposing the struggle and racism endured by minorities in America.
Although individuals knew about the case, it received more attention after Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, which aired on Netflix, helped popularize their struggle.
When They See Us
The series, When They See Us, further details the story behind The Central Park Five. On that spring evening night, an estimated 30 teenage boys were in Central Park, some even harming civilians nearby.
The same evening, Trisha Meili, a 28-year-old white woman, was out jogging in the park. The following day at 1:30 a.m., two men discovered Meili’s body, seeing her beaten, severely abused, and barely in a functioning state. For 12 days, Meili was in a coma and had no memory of the attack.
After several long hours of interrogation, the boys were co-erced into telling police they touched Meili, while others confessed to assaulting her. However, when the semen located at the scene of the crime did not match any of the boys, the police used their confessions as evidence.
Shortly after, the Central Park Five retracted their statements, claiming they were coerced by law enforcement. Despite lack of evidence, the men received six to 13 year prison sentence.
After almost serving full sentences in 2002, the boys were exonerated of all crimes. The liberation of the Exonerated Central Park Five was granted, following the confession of Matias Reyes, a serial rapist. While his DNA matched the scene, police never considered Reyes a suspect of the crime.
Although they could not get back the years of imprisonment, the city of New York granted them $41 million for their wrongful convictions in 2014.
Trump’s Vocal Statements on the Exonerated Central Park Five started in 1989
This is not the first time Trump spoke about the Exonerated Five, as he paid for ads calling for their executions in 1989. After hearing about the incident, Trump sided against the five and was very vocal about the case. From full page ads on capital punishment to insinuating the men were still guilty during his 2016 political campaign, Trump’s large impacted influenced the decisions of others.
Based on his 1989 actions and 2024 statements, Trump’s false perspective on the men has not changed. In a corrupted criminal justice system, the Exonerated Central Park Five upheld their innocence, showcasing integrity and humility in the trials.
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