A new legal challenge emerges for Donald Trump as the Exonerated Five pursue justice through the courts over remarks made during a presidential debate.
According to Newsweek, court documents reveal that Trump's security director, Dan Freeman, received a defamation lawsuit summons at Mar-a-Lago on October 24 while the former president was campaigning across multiple states.
The lawsuit stems from statements Trump made during his September 10 debate with Kamala Harris regarding the Central Park Five case. The group, consisting of Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise, takes issue with Trump's characterization of their case.
Their legal action challenges specific statements made during the presidential debate that they claim misrepresented their involvement in the 1989 Central Park incident.
The case's history dates back to 1989 when Trump took out an $85,000 full-page advertisement in the New York Times advocating for the death penalty's reinstatement. This action occurred during the height of public outrage over the Central Park jogger case.
The five men were eventually exonerated after serving between five and thirteen years in prison when the true perpetrator confessed and was linked to the crime through DNA evidence.
During the recent presidential debate, Trump made statements about the case that prompted the legal action. The group's attorneys argue that these comments constitute defamation, as they incorrectly suggest the men had admitted guilt and were responsible for a death.
Trump's campaign, through spokesman Steven Cheung, has dismissed the lawsuit as politically motivated, suggesting it represents an attempt to interfere with the election process. They characterize the legal action as a strategy by left-wing activists to distract from Harris's campaign.
The service of the summons initiates a formal legal process requiring Trump to respond by November 15. The court documents specify clear consequences for failing to address the complaint within the designated timeframe.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages exceeding $75,000, though the exact amount remains unspecified. Their legal team has requested a jury trial to address the defamation claims. Freeman has confirmed informing Trump about the summons and the lawsuit's contents, establishing official notification of the legal proceedings.
Trump's specific debate statement, as quoted in the legal filing, demonstrates the core of the defamation claim. Trump stated:
They admitted—they said, they pled guilty. And I said, well, if they pled guilty they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately. And if they pled guilty—then they pled we're not guilty.
The plaintiffs' legal team emphasizes that these statements fundamentally misrepresent the facts of the case. They point out that none of the men pled guilty to any crime and that no deaths occurred in the Central Park assaults.
The legal proceedings unfold against the backdrop of significant political developments, with Yusef Salaam now serving as a New York City Council member and having spoken at the Democratic National Convention. The timing of the lawsuit service, coinciding with Election Day, adds another layer of complexity to Trump's numerous legal challenges. These events represent a continuation of a decades-long narrative involving Trump and the Exonerated Five. The lawsuit's progression will likely draw attention to the historical case and current discussions about justice system reform.
