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Central Park 5, which now refers to itself as the Exonerated Five, has filed a lawsuit against former president Donald Trump. This lawsuit comes after the former president spoke about the exonerated group's court case in which they were wrongfully convicted of a crime during the presidential debate. Here's what we know.

The Central Park 5

The Central Park 5 is comprised of five teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of a brutal rape of a woman in 1989. The teens were said to have been forced into confessions and were exonerated in 2002. This is after serving 7 - 13 years in prison between the five. In 2001, a man came forward and confessed to the crime, claiming that he was the sole perpetrator. Shortly afterward, an investigation was done and showed that there was no evidence that pointed to the five young boys as the perpetrators of these crimes.

In 2014, New York awarded the five men $40 million after a lawsuit was filed by the Central Park 5. The men now wish to be referred to as the Exonerated 5.

Donald Trump's Debate Comments

During the historical debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump made defamatory statements about Central Park 5. This came after a comment made by Harris, mentioning the fact that Trump had put out an ad in the 1980s calling for the death penalty for young teens. "Let's remember, this is the same individual who took out a full page ad in The New York Times calling for the execution of five young Black and Latino boys who were innocent, the Central Park Five," Harris said during the debate.

Trump responded that the five teens had "badly hurt and killed a person," not acknowledging their exoneration. It is also false that the victim was murdered. She is still alive and has even spoken out about the case during the exoneration of the five. Trump additionally stated that the five pleaded guilty to their crimes, which is incorrect.

The Lawsuit

 The Exonerated Five are filing a defamation lawsuit against the former president for his comments. In the lawsuit, it directly quotes Trump claiming that they killed someone as the false statement that prompted the lawsuit. "At the September 10, 2024 presidential debate, Defendant Trump falsely stated that Plaintiffs killed an individual and pleaded guilty to the crime. These statements are demonstrably false. Plaintiffs never pleaded guilty to any crime and were subsequently cleared of all wrongdoing. Further, the victims of the Central Park assaults were not killed."