Central Park Five sue Trump for defamation over debate claims

Members of the Central Park Five person sued Donald Trump for making “false and defamatory” statements during the 10 September statesmanlike debate.

The suit claims Trump defamed the 5 New York City men during the statement erstwhile helium falsely claimed they admitted to sidesplitting idiosyncratic and pleaded blameworthy to crimes they were falsely accused of.

The plaintiffs - Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise - were teenagers erstwhile wrongfully convicted of rape and assault. They were exonerated successful 2002.

The suit cites respective statements Trump made aft Harris attacked him for buying ads that called for the decease punishment astatine a clip erstwhile the nationalist was consumed by the case.

“They admitted - they said, they pled guilty,” Trump said, aft Vice President Kamala Harris criticised him for his past statements astir the case. “And I said, well, if they pled guilty, they severely wounded a person, killed a idiosyncratic ultimately.”

The suit alleges that Trump made the comments “negligently” and “with reckless disregard for their falsity".

The men impeach Trump of omitting “key facts", which rendered "his statements false”. They enactment specified items arsenic the Manhattan prosecutors acknowledging flaws with their case, the men's exoneration, and the existent perpetrator of the crimes' confession arsenic examples.

The men's attorney, Shanin Specter, said successful a connection that the men “seek to close the grounds and wide their names erstwhile again”.

Steven Chueng, a Trump spokesperson, responded to the suit successful a connection shared with CBS News, the BBC's US partner. He alleged it was "just different frivolous, Election Interference lawsuit, filed by hopeless left-wing activists to distract the American people".

The Central Park Five lawsuit consumed New York City for years, exposing heavy responsibility lines astir race, crime, and inequality successful the transgression justness system. The men's exoneration successful 2002 raised questions astir policing and the enactment of prosecutors.

The men are present collectively known arsenic the “Exonerated Five”. In 2014, they settled a suit with New York City for $40m.

In 1989, arsenic the lawsuit gripped the city’s headlines, Trump infamously took retired a full-page advertisement successful the New York Times and different determination newspapers calling to “bring backmost the decease penalty.”

Though the advertisement did not specifically notation the Central Park Five, it ran portion the metropolis faced aggravated statement that was ignited by the crime.

“I privation to hatred these muggers and murderers. They should beryllium forced to suffer, and, erstwhile they kill, they should beryllium executed for their crimes,” the advertisement stated.

Harris cited the advertisement during the debate, erstwhile she alleged that "this is the aforesaid idiosyncratic (Trump) who took retired a full-page advertisement successful The New York Times calling for the execution of 5 young Black and Latino boys who were innocent, the Central Park Five.”

That is erstwhile Trump made the bid of mendacious statements, the suit says.

Salaam, 1 of the Central Park Five who is presently a subordinate of the New York City Council, attended the September statesmanlike debate.

The tribunal documents and a video provided by the plaintiffs amusement an speech helium had with Trump aft the event.

“President Trump, I’m Yusef Salaam, 1 of the Exonerated Five. How are you doing?” helium said, according to the lawsuit.

The erstwhile president allegedly responded “Ah, you’re connected my broadside then.”

Mr Salaam replied, “No, no, no, I’m not connected your side.”

“Defendant Trump proceeded to question his manus astatine Plaintiff Salaam, grin and locomotion away,” the suit states.