Trump must face defamation lawsuit from Central Park Five defendants [View all]

Source: Reuters

April 10, 2025 1:30 PM EDT Updated an hour ago


April 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has failed to persuade a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of making defamatory statements about five Black and Hispanic men who were wrongly convicted and imprisoned for the 1989 rape of a white jogger in New York's Central Park.

Philadelphia-based U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone ruled on Thursday that the men had presented enough evidence for now to pursue their lawsuit accusing Trump of defaming them in comments he made during the 2024 presidential campaign.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court last October by Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown and Korey Wise. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages for reputational and emotional harms as well as punitive damages. Shanin Specter, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, in a statement on Thursday welcomed the judge's ruling and said he and his clients "look forward to discovery, trial and the ultimate vindication of these five fine men."

The White House declined to comment. A lawyer representing Trump in the lawsuit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-must-face-defamation-lawsuit-central-park-five-defendants-2025-04-10/