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The Exonerated Five, previously known as the Central Park Five, have filed a defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump. The lawsuit, submitted in federal district court in Pennsylvania, accuses Trump of making false statements about the group during a recent presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

The lawsuit contends that Trump incorrectly stated during the debate that the five Black and Latino men, who were wrongfully convicted for the 1989 rape of a White female jogger, had pleaded guilty and had also killed a person during a series of assaults in Central Park. The Exonerated Five claim these statements are "demonstrably false," noting that none of them ever pleaded guilty and that no victims of the assaults were killed.

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, dismissed the lawsuit as a baseless attempt to meddle in the upcoming presidential election. He characterized the legal action as a frantic effort by Vice President Harris's allies to undermine Trump's campaign, asserting that Trump remains poised for a historic victory in the November 5th election.

The Exonerated Five were teenagers when they were charged and subsequently convicted in 1990 for the rape and assault of Trisha Meili, a White female jogger, and other crimes. Despite consistently maintaining their innocence, they were only exonerated in 2002 after DNA evidence pointed to another man who confessed to the crimes.

The lawsuit highlights the harmful nature of Trump's statements, arguing that they falsely attribute criminal actions to the group—actions for which they have never been charged or accused, were acquitted at trial, and were ultimately exonerated. The suit also recounts an attempt by Yusef Salaam, one of the Exonerated Five, to engage in a brief dialogue with Trump following the debate. Salaam introduced himself and tried to discuss Trump's inaccurate claims, but according to the lawsuit, Trump refused to engage.

Members of the Exonerated Five, including Salaam and Korey Wise, have been active in the political arena, especially during the Democratic National Convention, where they criticized Trump's actions. Salaam, now serving as a New York City councilmember, along with Wise, has participated in efforts to encourage voting, including joining civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton on a campaign bus tour.