Trump’s Legal Team Requests Judge Recusal in Defamation Case Involving ‘Central Park Five’

November 15, 2024 TruthUSA

The defamation lawsuit arose from statements made by Trump during his presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

President-elect Donald Trump’s legal team filed a request on Nov. 14 for a federal judge to step down from an ongoing defamation case involving the now-exonerated “Central Park Five.” This request was based on the judge’s close personal ties with the lead attorney representing the men.

In the filing, Trump’s attorneys sought the immediate recusal of Senior Judge Michael Baylson from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. It was revealed on Nov. 13 by Shanin Specter, the lead attorney for the men, that he had a long-standing relationship with Baylson.

“Specifically, Mr. Specter disclosed that he has represented both Honorable Michael M. Baylson and his wife personally,” the motion stated. “Mr. Specter also mentioned that he has known and been friends with Judge Baylson since childhood, and that both the Judge and his wife have been guests in Mr. Specter’s home on various occasions.”

Trump’s legal team argued that this relationship went beyond a typical lawyer-judge friendship, suggesting that the public might question the court’s impartiality if Baylson continued overseeing the case.

The defamation lawsuit, filed on Oct. 21, stemmed from comments made by Trump during a presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris before the 2024 general election.

“Recusal is essential and appropriate, particularly in a high-profile case involving a Presidential Debate and a defendant President-Elect, where public confidence in the judiciary is crucial,” stated Trump’s attorneys in the filing.

Specter confirmed to The Epoch Times on Nov. 15, “We do not oppose the motion.”

During the debate, Trump defended his position on the case involving the “Central Park Five,” a group of black and Hispanic teenagers who were falsely arrested and convicted of a crime. He also placed full-page ads in New York newspapers calling for the death penalty to be reinstated in the state.

“They admitted, they said they pled guilty and I said, well, if they pled guilty they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately. … And they pled guilty, then they pled not guilty,” Trump stated during the debate.

The five men—Yusef Salaam, Antron Brown (formerly McCray), Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise—had their convictions overturned in 2002 after DNA evidence proved their innocence. They sued Trump in Pennsylvania for making false and defamatory remarks about them.

“Plaintiffs never confessed to any crime and were later cleared of all charges. Additionally, the victims of the Central Park assaults were not killed,” stated the complaint.

Spokesman Steven Cheung for Trump’s campaign dismissed the legal action as a “frivolous election interference lawsuit” filed by left-wing activists to distract the public.

In 2002, convicted rapist Matias Reyes confessed to assaulting Meili alone, leading to the exoneration of the Central Park Five. The City of New York later settled with the men for $41 million in 2014 to help move forward from the wrongful convictions.

Following her recovery, Trisha Meili became an advocate for sexual assault victims.

Zachary Stieber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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