Judge Denies Trump’s Bid to Dismiss ‘Central Park Five’ Defamation Case

The judge dismissed the plaintiffs’ claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Korey Wise (3rd L), speaks on stage alongside Kevin Richardson (L), New York City Council Member Dr. Yusef Salaam (2nd L), and Raymond Santana (R), accompanied by Rev. Al Sharpton (2nd R), on the last day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

A federal judge on Thursday denied President Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by five black and Hispanic men, who became known as the “Central Park Five” after they were wrongly convicted for a 1989 rape case and later exonerated.

U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone ruled that the plaintiffs may proceed with their lawsuit, in which they accused Trump of making false and defamatory statements during his 2024 presidential debate with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate running against Trump. The judge, however, dismissed the plaintiffs’ claim that Trump had intentionally caused them emotional distress, according to the court order.