Five men collectively dubbed the Central Park Five sued Donald Trump for defamation Monday after he falsely said during the presidential debate that they had pleaded guilty to a brutal rape 35 years ago, despite the fact that they had their convictions overturned.
Lawyers for the five allege in the lawsuit that the former president acted with “reckless disregard” for the truth and with intent to cause “severe emotional distress” by claiming during the 10 September debate that they had “killed a person” in the notorious incident and admitted their guilt. The five men have always denied the crime and were later exonerated.
