'Central Park Five' members sue Trump for defamation

The men were all convicted in connection with a 1989 rape and assault, though their convictions were vacated in 2002.

By Ben Whedon

Published: October 21, 2024 11:35am

Members of the "Central Park Five" have sued Trump over his comments during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming he knowingly misrepresented the circumstances of their case.

The men were all convicted in connection with a 1989 rape and assault, though their convictions were vacated in 2002. Trump stated during the debate that the group had pleaded guilty and that they had killed someone. All five pleaded not guilty and no one was killed in the incident.

“Plaintiffs never pled guilty to the Central Park assaults. Plaintiffs all pled not guilty and maintained their innocence throughout their trial and incarceration, as well as after they were released from prison," their attorneys wrote, CNN reported. “None of the victims of the Central Park assaults were killed."

The suit marks the latest defamation case against Trump and follows writer E. Jean Carroll's multiple suits stemming from his denials of her claims he raped her in the 1990s.