Trump loses latest bid to get Central Park Five defamation lawsuit tossed

A federal judge dismissed another effort by President Donald Trump to throw out the defamation case filed against him by plaintiffs formerly known as the Central Park Five. "Pennsylvania's Anti-SLAPP Statute (a state law) does not apply here, in federal court," U

District Judge Wendy Beetlestone wrote in a filing

The five men sued Trump in October, accusing him of defaming them during the September presidential debate against former Vice President Kamala Harris

Ken Cedeno | ReutersA federal judge on Friday dealt another blow to President Donald Trump's efforts to throw out a defamation lawsuit against him filed by plaintiffs formerly known as the Central Park Five

District Judge Wendy Beetlestone said that Pennsylvania's Anti-SLAPP law, designed to tect defendants from lawsuits targeting tected speech, does not apply in federal court, rejecting Trump's motion to dismiss the case. "The only issue before the Court is whether Plaintiffs' claims for defamation, false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress ("IIED") can survive given Pennsylvania's Uniform Public Expression tection Act, otherwise known as its Anti-Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Statute," Beetlestone wrote in a 13-page filing. "Pennsylvania's Anti-SLAPP Statute (a state law) does not apply here, in federal court," she wrote in the filing, adding: "Accordingly, Defendant's Motion shall be denied. "Read more CNBC coverageEurope will buy more American weapons and pave way for trade deal, EU council chief saysTrump hosts 'One, Big, Beautiful' event to push GOP senators to pass tax billPolice detain six outside Palantir office at test over deportations, military workTrump trade deadlines in July 'not critical': White HouseTrump vows to make Spain pay after it refuses to meet NATO spending targetTrump downplays U

Intelligence report on Iran strikes at NATO presser'Time to get serious on defense': It's a moment of truth for NATO on spendingTrump to Congress: 'NO ONE GOES ON VACATION' until spending bill passesFive men who as teenagers were wrongfully convicted in the so-called Central Park Five jogger rape case sued Trump in October, accusing the then-Republican presidential nominee of defaming them

They cited a number of statements Trump made during his Sept. 10 presidential debate against former Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing him of falsely stating that the men killed somebody and pled guilty to the crime. "These statements are demonstrably false," they wrote in their filing against Trump

The five men — Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray and Korey Wise — spent years in prison for the rape and assault of a white female jogger, a crime they were later exonerated of and did not commit

Trump has tried to dismiss the defamation lawsuit against him, but has not been successful

Judge Beetlestone in April also threw out Trump's motion to dismiss the case against him in a different filing.