Legal Action Against Former President Trump
Five men, previously exonerated of rape charges, have filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump on October 21. They claim that Trump defamed them during a recent presidential debate.
During the September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump stated that the group known as the Central Park Five “pled guilty,” and that they had “badly hurt a person” and “killed a person, ultimately.”
Details of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit, which was filed in a federal court in Pennsylvania, argues that Trump's comments were defamatory. This is because the five men were never accused or convicted of killing anyone.
The plaintiffs assert that Trump made these comments negligently, either knowing they were false or showing reckless disregard for their truthfulness.
The lawsuit states, “Defendant Trump’s conduct at the September 10 debate was extreme and outrageous, and it was intended to cause severe emotional distress to Plaintiffs.”
Background of the Central Park Five Case
In 1990, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise were convicted of rape and other charges by juries. Despite pleading not guilty, they admitted to participating in criminal activities, including assault and robbery, in Central Park on April 19, 1989.
Some of these teenagers confessed to assaulting or sexually touching a jogger, Trisha Meili, and implicated others in raping her. However, they recanted their statements two weeks later, alleging that the police had coerced them into giving false confessions.
A decade later, convicted rapist Matias Reyes confessed to raping Meili on the night of April 19. His confession was confirmed by investigators.
Convictions Vacated
Prosecutors recommended that the convictions against the five males be vacated, as their confessions were obtained under duress after hours of questioning, without the presence of their guardians or legal counsel. In 2002, a judge vacated the five men’s convictions based on the newly discovered evidence.
A New York Police Department report later concluded that while DNA and other evidence supported Reyes’s story, there was “nothing but his uncorroborated word that he did so alone.” The report suggested that the men “more likely than not” participated in Reyes’s assault on Meili.
Trump's Involvement in the Case
During the debate, Trump was responding to Harris, who highlighted his involvement with the case. Trump had paid for an advertisement in 1989 calling for the five to be put to death.
Harris stated, “This is the same individual who took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the execution of five young Black and Latino boys who were innocent, the Central Park Five.”
In response, Trump said that Harris “has to stretch back years, 40, 50 years ago because there’s nothing now.” In 2019, when asked if he would apologize to the five men, Trump told reporters that “They admitted their guilt.”
Response from Trump's Campaign
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump’s campaign, dismissed the lawsuit as "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.”
Bottom Line
This lawsuit brings to the forefront the controversial Central Park Five case and the role that Trump played in it. It raises questions about the responsibility of public figures in discussing past legal cases and the potential for defamation. What are your thoughts on this matter? Please share this article with your friends and let us know your opinion. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6pm.
