Here we have another lawsuit for Trump that isn’t going away and it’s GLORIOUS. If a judge says no, she *means* no. I hope this suit makes the news when the case actually goes to trial. From AP News:
A federal judge has rejected President Donald Trump ‘s effort to dismiss a defamation lawsuit against him filed by the men formerly known as the Central Park Five who were exonerated after spending more than a decade in prison for the 1989 rape and beating of a woman who was jogging. U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia denied Trump’s motion to dismiss in a brief Thursday night order.
The five men sued Trump in the midst of last fall’s presidential election campaign, accusing him of making “false and defamatory statements” about them during the Sept. 10 debate in Philadelphia with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump misstated key facts of the case when Harris brought up the matter, saying “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 if they pled guilty — then they pled we’re not guilty,’” Trump said.
Aw, yea. So. I know that was a big gulp of news, but really felt like I should get this started. Trump can’t wiggle out of this one, and it’s about damn time! Maybe I’m a little vindictive, but the guys were EXONERATED. I can’t even imagine how they felt after that happened. I have no idea what it must be like after getting out of the small world of a prison. It must have been overwhelming. But, moving on.
The men had asked for compensatory and punitive damages, saying Trump had knowingly defamed them, purposefully made false statements about them, and sought to inflict severe emotional distress on them. Trump’s lawyer, Karin Sweigart, in a statement, called the lawsuit an “unfounded and meritless attack” on Trump. The judge’s dismissal of certain claims is a “victory,” Sweigart said, and vowed to “continue fighting to protect the First Amendment rights of not just the President, but all Americans.” Sweigart’s request to dismiss also said Trump’s statements were “substantially true,” that he didn’t dispute the men were ultimately exonerated
He had only intended to portray his thinking in 1989 when, following the men having confessed, Trump purchased a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty. At the time, many in New York saw Trump’s ad as calling for the teens to be executed.
Y’know, after that ad, I would certainly agree. That’s some crap. I didn’t remember much else about it until I stumbled on this article. I would say that they had every right to do this. Sock it to him, gentlemen. A lot of us would love to see you win. Thanks for sticking with me!
We thank all of you who have donated. You’re keeping this blog on the internet, believe me. One of the battles we fight is the inconsistency of ad revenue because politics in this country is so polarized, and a lot of advertisers just seek to avoid the political. They’d rather advertise on food blogs and be safe, doughnuts before democracy. All we’re trying to do is stay in business because we believe the work is important. Thank you if you can assist. If we didn’t need it, we wouldn’t be asking. Ursula
