Judge Doesn’t Let Trump Back Out Of Defamatory Remarks Made About Central Park 5

Many of us have said things that have damaged someone’s reputation. Yes, that thing you said about Mike in accounting counts. But few of us have gone full page ad in several newspapers about how a group ought to be killed. And while I’d like to write that even fewer people have doubled down on the disrespect instead of apologizing after said group was exonerated, we’re dealing with the same set. Donald Trump’s hot takes on the Exonerated Five have only gotten worse over time — and he’s likely going to go to court over it. Reuters has coverage:

U.S. President Donald Trump has failed to persuade a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of making defamatory statements about five Black and Hispanic men who were wrongly convicted and imprisoned for the 1989 rape of a white jogger in New York’s Central Park.

Philadelphia-based U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone ruled on Thursday that the men had presented enough evidence for now to pursue their lawsuit accusing Trump of defaming them in comments he made during the 2024 presidential campaign.

For posterity’s sake, here’s a video of King Orange doing the alleged defaming:

Pretty cut-and-dried, if you ask me! I know this is the president who ushered in alternative facts and all, but the actual facts suggest they never pleaded guilty, were exonerated after DNA evidence proved it wasn’t them, and someone else claimed responsibility for the murder to boot. Frankly, it looks like he got caught red handed lying to millions of people on stage to own the libs. I wonder if he’ll get one of his Biglaw lap dogs to hop on the case. Paul Weiss? Skadden? Which of you would like to put some pro bono hours towards the Republican cause of let’s see here… the president’s right to double down on saying that an innocent group of Black men were criminals despite due process proving otherwise? That will be great for PR for both the firm and the administration! Surely no other historically pertinent parallels to be made here!

Trump Must Face Defamation Lawsuit From ‘Central Park Five’ Defendants [Reuters]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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