PHILADELPHIA — Members of the "Central Park Five" filed a defamation suit against former President Donald Trump on Monday, accusing him of spreading "false, misleading and defamatory" statements about their 1989 case during the Sept. 10 ABC News presidential debate, according to a new court filing.
The five men, then teenagers, were accused of the violent rape of a female jogger in Central Park in April 1989. The five, who always maintained their innocence, were convicted and served years in prison. A decade after the attack, a different man confessed to the crime, which was confirmed through DNA analysis.
According to the court filing, one of the Central Park Five members, Salaam, was actually present at the debate and sought to confront Trump over his statements in the spin room afterward.
Salaam was elected to the New York City Council last year, representing northern Manhattan, including Harlem, East Harlem, parts of the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights.