The Central Park 5, the group of five men who were wrongfully convicted of a violent assault in 1989, have filed a defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump. This comes after Trump once again accused them of being responsible for the crime during a September 2024 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. His false statements have reignited the controversy surrounding his decades-long involvement in the case.
Key Details of the Lawsuit
Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Yusef Salaam filed the lawsuit in federal court on Monday, alleging that Trump defamed them, cast them in a false light, and inflicted emotional distress. Trump’s recent statements, made during a national presidential debate, claimed that the men had pleaded guilty to the crime before changing their plea and further stated that they “killed a person ultimately”—both of which are untrue.
The victim, Trisha Meili, now 64, survived the attack, and the Central Park 5 have maintained their innocence throughout the case. In 2002, they were fully exonerated after convicted murderer Matias Reyes confessed to the crime.
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Trump’s Persistent False Claims
Trump’s false claims about the case date back to 1989, when he called for the death penalty in response to the Central Park attack, though the five men had not yet been charged. His statements have continued over the years, including during his 2016 presidential campaign, when he called the case’s settlement “outrageous.” Despite mounting evidence proving the men’s innocence, Trump has never retracted his remarks.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, though the specific amount has not been disclosed.
Historical Background
The Central Park 5, now known as the Exonerated 5, were wrongfully convicted of the 1989 assault and rape of Meili in Central Park. The racially charged case unfolded during a time of heightened tensions in New York City, with the media and law enforcement spotlighting the suspects, who were between the ages of 14 and 16, as symbols of urban crime. Under duress, four of the five teenagers provided false confessions, which were later recanted. There was no forensic evidence linking them to the crime, and they were exonerated after spending between seven and thirteen years in prison.
Following their exoneration, the group sued the city for false arrest and malicious prosecution. Their lawsuit was settled for $41 million in 2014, though Trump has remained a vocal critic, calling the settlement “a disgrace.”
Trump’s History with the Central Park 5 Case
Trump has maintained his inflammatory stance regarding the Central Park 5 for over three decades. In 1989, he placed a full-page advertisement in several New York City newspapers, calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty. Although the ad did not specifically name the five suspects, it was widely understood to refer to the Central Park case.
Throughout his political career, Trump has continued to assert that the men were guilty, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He also criticized a 2019 documentary on the case, labeling it as biased, and in 2016 he claimed that the men “admitted they were guilty.”
