Judge refuses to dismiss Central Park Five's defamation case against
President Trump
[April 12, 2025]
By MARC LEVY
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge has rejected President Donald
Trump 's effort to dismiss a defamation lawsuit against him filed by the
men formerly known as the Central Park Five who were exonerated after
spending more than a decade in prison for the 1989 rape and beating of a
woman who was jogging.
U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia denied Trump's
motion to dismiss in a brief Thursday night order.
The five men sued Trump in the midst of last fall's presidential
election campaign, accusing him of making “false and defamatory
statements” about them during the Sept. 10 debate in Philadelphia with
then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump misstated key facts of the case when Harris brought up the matter,
saying “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,'”
Trump said.
The men — Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana
and Korey Wise — never pleaded guilty; they were convicted after jury
trials. Also, no victim died.
In a statement, their lawyer, Shanin Specter, said they are "gratified
by the Court’s ruling and thorough analysis and look forward to
discovery, trial and the ultimate vindication of these five fine men.”
The men had asked for compensatory and punitive damages, saying Trump
had knowingly defamed them, purposefully made false statements about
them and sought to inflict severe emotional distress on them.
Judge Beetlestone’s order dismissed the claim for intentional infliction
of emotional distress.
Trump's lawyer, Karin Sweigart, in a statement called the lawsuit an
“unfounded and meritless attack” on Trump. The judge's dismissal of
certain claims is a “victory," Sweigart said, and vowed to "continue
fighting to protect the First Amendment rights of not just the
President, but all Americans.”
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This combination of file photo shows, clockwise from top left,
Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Korey Wise and Kevin
Richardson, known as Central Park five. (AP Photo/File)
In the request to dismiss the case, Sweigart had said the
president's statements were protected under Pennsylvania laws that
grant civil immunity over statements made on a “matter of public
concern.”
Sweigart's request to dismiss also said Trump's statements were
“substantially true,” that he didn't dispute the men were ultimately
exonerated and that he had only intended to portray his thinking in
1989 when, following the men having confessed, Trump purchased a
full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the reinstatement of
the death penalty.
At the time, many in New York saw Trump’s ad as calling for the
teens to be executed.
The five men had been teenagers when they were accused of the rape
and beating of a white woman jogging in New York City’s Central
Park. The five, who are Black and Latino, said they confessed to the
crimes under duress. They later recanted, pleading not guilty in
court, and were later convicted after jury trials. Their convictions
were vacated in 2002 after another person confessed to the crime.
When the lawsuit was filed, Specter said Trump “defamed them in
front of 67 million people, which has caused them to seek to clear
their names all over again."
A Trump campaign spokesperson attacked it at the time as a
"frivolous election interference lawsuit.”
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