U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday requested that a federal judge dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of making defamatory statements about five Black and Hispanic men, known as the Central Park Five, who were wrongly convicted of the 1989 rape of a white jogger in New York’s Central Park. Trump’s lawyers argued that his remarks, made during his 2016 campaign, were legally protected opinions. The Central Park Five were exonerated in 2002 after DNA evidence and another person’s confession proved their innocence. Trump had falsely claimed during a September 2016 presidential debate with Kamala Harris that the men had killed someone and pleaded guilty.
Trump’s attorneys cited the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, asserting that his speech on public matters is protected. Trump also announced he would nominate Harmeet Dhillon, founder of Dhillon Law Group, to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Shanin Specter, attorney for the Central Park Five—Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise—expressed confidence that Trump’s motion would fail, emphasizing they would pursue discovery and trial. The lawsuit claims Trump’s statements were false, causing emotional distress and harm to the plaintiffs. Trump’s prior involvement in the case included placing a full-page ad in New York newspapers advocating for the death penalty after the assault.
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