Donald Trump will have to contend with a defamation lawsuit brought by the Central Park Five, after a federal judge rejected his attempt to have the case dismissed. The suit stems from remarks Trump made during his 2024 presidential campaign about the five men—Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise—who were wrongfully convicted in the 1989 assault and rape of a white jogger in New York’s Central Park.

U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone, based in Philadelphia, ruled on Thursday that the plaintiffs had presented sufficient preliminary evidence to allow the case to move forward. The men, all Black or Hispanic, are seeking compensation for emotional and reputational harm, along with punitive damages.

Neither the White House nor Trump’s legal team offered immediate comment on the decision. Attorneys for the plaintiffs also declined to respond right away.

Known as the "Central Park Five," the men were exonerated in 2002 after new DNA evidence and a confession from the real perpetrator proved their innocence. Yet, during a September 10 presidential debate with then-candidate Kamala Harris, Trump falsely claimed they had killed someone and entered guilty pleas—allegations the men strongly deny. Their lawsuit calls these statements not only false, but damaging and defamatory, accusing Trump of casting them in a “harmful false light.”

Trump’s legal team had argued that his remarks were protected opinions under the First Amendment, and therefore not grounds for defamation. But Judge Beetlestone disagreed, ruling that the nature of the statements could be judged as factual—and verifiably false—since none of the men had pleaded guilty or committed murder.

Trump has long been a controversial figure in the history of the case. Shortly after the 1989 attack, he infamously purchased full-page ads in New York newspapers demanding the return of the death penalty—a move widely criticized in the years that followed, especially after the men’s exoneration.

Now, decades later, his continued public commentary has led to legal consequences, as the Central Park Five seek accountability for words they say have only prolonged their ordeal.