HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) 鈥� A federal judge has rejected President 's effort to dismiss a defamation lawsuit against him filed by the men formerly known as the Central Park Five who were exonerated after spending more than a decade in prison for the 1989 rape and beating of a woman who was jogging.
U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia denied Trump's motion to dismiss in a brief Thursday night order.
The five men in the midst of last fall's presidential election campaign, accusing him of making 鈥渇alse and defamatory statements鈥� about them during the Sept. 10 debate in Philadelphia with then-Vice President .
when Harris brought up the matter, saying 鈥淭hey admitted, they said, they pled guilty. And I said, 鈥檞ell, if they pled guilty they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately. And if they pled guilty 鈥� then they pled we're not guilty,'鈥� Trump said.
The men 鈥� , Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise 鈥� never pleaded guilty; they were convicted after jury trials. Also, no victim died.
In a statement, their lawyer, Shanin Specter, said they are "gratified by the Court鈥檚 ruling and thorough analysis and look forward to discovery, trial and the ultimate vindication of these five fine men.鈥�
The men had asked for compensatory and punitive damages, saying Trump had knowingly defamed them, purposefully made false statements about them and sought to inflict severe emotional distress on them.
Judge Beetlestone鈥檚 order dismissed the claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Trump's lawyer, Karin Sweigart, in a statement called the lawsuit an 鈥渦nfounded and meritless attack鈥� on Trump. The judge's dismissal of certain claims is a 鈥渧ictory," Sweigart said, and vowed to "continue fighting to protect the First Amendment rights of not just the President, but all Americans.鈥�
In the request to dismiss the case, Sweigart had said the president's statements were protected under Pennsylvania laws that grant civil immunity over statements made on a 鈥渕atter of public concern.鈥�
Sweigart's request to dismiss also said Trump's statements were 鈥渟ubstantially true,鈥� that he didn't dispute the men were ultimately exonerated and that he had only intended to portray his thinking in 1989 when, following the men having confessed, Trump purchased a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty.
At the time, many in New York saw Trump鈥檚 ad as calling for the teens to be executed.
The five men had been teenagers when they were accused of the rape and beating of a white woman jogging in New York City鈥檚 Central Park. The five, who are Black and Latino, said they confessed to the crimes under duress. They later recanted, pleading not guilty in court, and were later convicted after jury trials. Their in 2002 after another person confessed to the crime.
When the lawsuit was filed, Specter said Trump 鈥渄efamed them in front of 67 million people, which has caused them to seek to clear their names all over again."
A Trump campaign spokesperson attacked it at the time as a "frivolous election interference lawsuit.鈥�
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Marc Levy, The Associated Press
