CNN —
Members of the “Central Park Five” on Monday sued former President Donald Trump, accusing him of making “false and defamatory” statements about a 1989 incident during last month’s presidential debate.
Five people say in a 20-page federal lawsuit that President Trump acted with “reckless disregard” for the truth when he said he admitted to assault and rape-related crimes during a September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. He claims he knew what he was doing. A New York City woman and five teenagers said the attack “seriously injured and killed another person.”
“Trump’s statements were false and defamatory on many counts,” lawyers for the men, now all in their 50s, said in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Philadelphia. “Plaintiffs never pleaded guilty to the Central Park assault. All plaintiffs maintained their innocence during trial, incarceration, and upon release.”
“None of the victims died in the Central Park attack,” the attorneys wrote.
CNN has reached out to President Trump’s representatives for comment.
The men are seeking compensatory and punitive damages. The suit also alleges that President Trump’s comments misled them and caused them “severe emotional distress.”
The group was pressured into making false confessions in the case. In 2002, DNA evidence implicated another person in the crime and they were acquitted. The boys sued the city, and the lawsuit was settled in 2014.
CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
