Members of the Central Park Five have sued Donald Trump for making “false and defamatory” statements during the Sept. 10 presidential debate.

The lawsuit alleges that Trump defamed the five New York men during the debate when he falsely claimed they had admitted to killing someone and pleaded guilty to the crimes they were falsely accused of.

The plaintiffs – Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown and Korey Wise – were teenagers when they were wrongfully convicted of rape and assault. They were exonerated in 2002.

The lawsuit cites several of Trump's statements after Harris attacked him for buying ads calling for the death penalty at a time when the public was preoccupied with the case.

“They admitted — they said they pleaded guilty,” Trump said after Vice President Kamala Harris criticized him for his previous statements about the case. “And I said if they pleaded guilty, they would seriously injure and ultimately kill a person.”

The lawsuit claims Trump made the comments “negligently” and with “reckless disregard for their falsehood.”

The men accuse Trump of omitting “important facts,” making “his statements false.” As examples, they cite points such as the admission of flaws in their case by Manhattan prosecutors, the exoneration of the men and the confession of the real perpetrator.

The men's attorney, Shanin Specter, said in a statement that the men are “seeking to correct the record and clear their names once again.”

Steven Chueng, a Trump spokesman, responded to the lawsuit in a statement shared with the BBC. He claimed it was “just another frivolous election interference lawsuit filed by desperate left-wing activists to distract the American people.”

The Central Park Five case plagued New York City for years. Exposure of deep fault lines around race, crime and inequality in the criminal justice system. The men's exoneration in 2002 raised questions about police work and the work of prosecutors.

The men are now collectively known as the “Exonerated Five.” In 2014 they have has settled a lawsuit with New York City for $41 million.

In 1989, as the case dominated the city's headlines, Trump took out a full-page ad in the New York Times and other regional newspapers calling for “reinstate the death penalty.”

Although the ad did not specifically mention the Central Park Five, it was placed amid intense debate in the city sparked by the crime.

“I want to hate these highwaymen and murderers. They should be forced to suffer, and if they kill, they should be executed for their crimes,” the complaint says.

Harris cited the ad during the debate when she claimed that “this is the same person (Trump) who took out a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for the execution of five innocent young black and Latino boys.” Central Park Five.”

At that time, Trump made the series of false statements, the lawsuit says.

Salaam, one of the Central Park Five and currently a member of the New York City Council, took part in the presidential debate in September.

Court documents and a video provided by the plaintiffs show an exchange he had with Trump after the incident.

“President Trump, I am Yusef Salaam, one of the Exonerated Five. How are you?” he said, according to the lawsuit.

The former president reportedly responded, “Ah, then you’re on my side.”

Mr Salaam replied: “No, no, no, I am not on your side.”

“Defendant Trump waved to Plaintiff Salaam, smiled and walked away,” the lawsuit states.