Members of the “Central Park Five,” now known as the “Exonerated Five,” have filed a defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump over false claims he made about them during last month’s presidential debate with Kamala Harris.

In 1989, Trump released an ad calling for the return of the death penalty in New York state after five black and Latino teenagers were falsely accused of a brutal attack. And he continued to make false claims about her even after she was exonerated. When Harris brought this to his attention in the debate, Trump falsely claimed that the five had pleaded guilty.

Here is the quote:

The lawsuit, which calls for a trial to determine damages, notes several inaccuracies in Trump’s statements – for example, none of the teenagers pleaded guilty before being wrongfully convicted, and the victim of the crime did not die. (A Trump campaign spokesman dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous.”)

New York City Councilman Yusef Salaam – one of the exonerated five – was in the spin room with reporters after the debate and confronted the former president. Judging by Trump’s quick exit from the encounter, I don’t think he wanted the smoke. After all, this is someone who seems to resist face-to-face tensions and reserves his harshest attacks for social media posts.

Four members of the Exonerated Five recently starred in an ad for the Harris campaign and also appeared on stage at the Democratic National Convention. Their stories serve as a reminder of the threat to equal justice under the law if Trump returns to the White House. They are proof that as long as you are considered a criminal in Trump’s eyes, there is virtually nothing you can do to clear your name – no matter the facts.