Trump sued by exonerated Central Park Five over false murder accusation

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Members of the Central Park Five are now suing Donald Trump for falsely accusing them of murder during the recent presidential debate.

On Monday, members of the exonerated Central Park Five filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for falsely claiming they committed murder.
On Monday, members of the exonerated Central Park Five filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for falsely claiming they committed murder.  © Collage: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & Johannes EISELE / AFP

On Monday, the five men – Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise – filed a joint lawsuit in Philadelphia for "false and defamatory statements" Trump made during his debate with Kamala Harris on September 10.

"Defendant Trump falsely stated that plaintiffs killed an individual and pled guilty to the crime," the suit states.

"These statements are demonstrably false. Plaintiffs never pled guilty to any crime and were subsequently cleared of all wrongdoing."

Democratic lawmakers receive bomb threats on Thanksgiving signed "MAGA"
Politicians Democratic lawmakers receive bomb threats on Thanksgiving signed "MAGA"

The suit details how in 1989, the five – who were only teenagers at the time – were wrongly convicted of raping a woman in New York's Central Park.

Eleven days after the alleged crimes, Trump paid for full-page ads to be printed in newspapers across the city calling for the execution of the young men, who were eventually pressured into giving false confessions.

In 2022, after serving years in prison, all members were exonerated after new DNA evidence revealed the actual perpetrator.

During the debate, Harris called Trump out for his ad, to which he argued the five had "pled guilty" to having "killed a person" – though no one was killed in the incident.

The Central Park Five now allege his statements were harmful, causing them to "suffer severe emotional distress" and are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

Yusef Salaam details the damage Donald Trump has done

Back in March, Yusef Salaam – who now holds a seat on the New York City Council – did an interview with CNN, in which he detailed how Trump's newspaper ads created a "domino effect" that caused others to get behind his message and send hate mail to Salaam and his family.

In one letter he read during the interview, an anonymous wrote to Salaam – who was only 16 at the time – saying "the Lord will punish" him and his mother for "raising such an animal" and said neither of them deserve to live.

Salaam explained that he keeps the letter to help remind him that "I can't live in fear," adding, "I have to live full, so I can die empty."

Cover photo: Collage: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & Johannes EISELE / AFP

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