Donald Trump is asking a federal judge in Pennsylvania to throw out a defamation lawsuit filed against him by members of the Central Park Five. This lawsuit stems from comments Trump made during a presidential debate in 2024, where he addressed the decades-old controversy involving the five men. Trump’s lawyers argue that his remarks were taken out of context and are “substantially true.”
In a 12-page motion submitted on Wednesday, Trump’s legal team claimed the plaintiffs are twisting his words to make them seem defamatory. According to the motion, Trump’s comments were not present-day accusations but a reference to his mindset in 1989 when he published full-page ads in major newspapers, including the New York Times, calling for the death penalty after the arrests of the five teens.
Trump’s attorneys stated that his debate comments were a direct response to Vice President Kamala Harris, who had criticized him for the ads. They argue that Trump was simply explaining why he believed what he did at the time, not accusing the men of anything new.
The lawsuit revolves around a heated exchange between Trump and Harris during a widely watched debate on September 10, 2024. Harris brought up the infamous ads to highlight Trump’s divisive history. In response, Trump claimed that many people, including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, had agreed with him back then. He went on to say that the teens had “pled guilty” and caused serious harm to their victim, Patricia Meili, adding, “if they pled guilty, they hurt a person badly, killed a person ultimately.” Trump also mentioned they later changed their pleas to not guilty.
The five men—Antron Brown, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Yusef Salaam—argue that Trump’s statements during the debate were false and damaging. They pointed out that they never pled guilty to any crime, and their convictions were overturned years ago. The victim, Patricia Meili, survived the attack, contrary to Trump’s claim that someone was “killed.”
Trump’s lawyers countered this by saying no reasonable person would interpret his remarks as a literal accusation. Instead, they argued Trump’s statements were general observations. They also noted that while the men did not plead guilty, they initially confessed to the police during interrogations—statements they later recanted, saying they were made under duress. Similarly, while Meili wasn’t killed, Trump claimed she was left “virtually dead” and in a coma.
The Central Park Five’s story began in 1989 when they were arrested and accused of attacking Meili, a jogger in Central Park, New York City. The five teens, aged between 14 and 16, were interrogated for hours without attorneys or, in some cases, parents present. Eventually, four of them gave videotaped confessions, which they later said were coerced by police.
Despite maintaining their innocence, they were convicted in 1990 and sent to prison. Years later, in 2002, the truth came out when Matias Reyes, a convicted rapist, confessed to the crime. DNA evidence confirmed Reyes was the attacker, and the five men were fully exonerated. Their convictions were thrown out, and New York City settled a lawsuit with them for $41 million.
This defamation case is another chapter in the long-running saga of the Central Park Five and their fight to clear their names. Trump’s motion argues that his comments during the debate were rooted in his past beliefs and should not be considered defamatory today. The court in Pennsylvania will decide whether this lawsuit moves forward.
