A federal judge withdrew Friday from presiding over the defamation suit filed by the exonerated Central Park Five against President-elect Trump.
U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson, appointed by former President George W. Bush, recused himself from the case after it was revealed that he has long-standing friendships with Shanin Specter, the group’s lead attorney, who has also represented him and his wife in previous legal issues, according to The Hill. The litigation will be transferred to another judge within the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where the lawsuit was initially filed.
Trump’s legal team had advocated for Baylson’s withdrawal from the case, citing concerns over his impartiality that could arise in the eyes of a reasonable observer. The plaintiffs concurred with the motion for recusal, The Hill reported. The defamation claim against Trump stems from statements he made during a presidential debate last September, alleging that the Central Park Five had confessed to and were responsible for a murder.
This lawsuit is part of a long history of contention between Trump and the five individuals, who were wrongfully convicted for the 1989 rape and assault of a jogger in Central Park in New York City. The case involved investment banker Trisha Meili who went for a run in Central Park around 9 p.m.
A group of young men assaulted her and dragged her into the woods, where they stripped, beat her with a pipe and a brick, raped her and left her for dead. Her injuries were so severe that the district attorney’s office initially treated the case as a homicide, as doctors did not expect her to survive the night.
Out of 37 youths questioned about several violent incidents in the park that evening, 10 faced charges, and only five were charged in connection to the rape: Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, and Korey Wise. In 2018, New York City released thousands of documents related to the 1989 Central Park rape case.
Despite spending years in prison, their convictions were overturned in 2002 following a confession from the real perpetrator that was supported by DNA evidence, according to The Hill. The suit is still in preliminary stages, and Trump’s campaign has dismissed it as groundless, characterizing it as a tactic by “left-wing activists.”
Throughout the campaign, members of the Central Park Five have actively opposed Trump, including appearances at the Democratic National Convention and other campaign-related events. Salaam, now a New York City Council member, also supported Vice President Kamala Harris in the spin room after a debate in September.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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