Ripple’s CTO David Schwartz took to social media to express his thoughts on the defamation lawsuit filed by the Central Park Five against Donald Trump. In a post on X, Schwartz described the defamation lawsuit as “ridiculous.”
Ripple CTO’s Take on Defamation Lawsuit Against Donald Trump
The Ripple CTO also questioned the likelihood of proving negligence or recklessness in Trump’s remarks made during the September 10, 2024, presidential debate in Philadelphia. The lawsuit, filed by Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise, alleges that Donald Trump made false and defamatory statements about them during the debate.
The plaintiffs, now known as the Exonerated Five, were wrongfully convicted as teenagers for a series of assaults in Central Park in 1989. Trump’s comments during the debate referenced the case, claiming that the five individuals “pled guilty to assault” though they had always maintained their innocence throughout their trial and incarceration.
Schwartz highlighted that Trump’s remarks, while factually incorrect, would be difficult to prove as defamatory. “There’s no way to even prove negligence, much less recklessness. And his remarks, though wrong in many respects, are all either substantially true (in that the defamatory sting is true) or fair commentary,” Schwartz wrote in his post.
This lawsuit is ridiculous. There’s no way to even prove negligence, much less recklessness. And his remarks, though wrong in many respects, are all either substantially true (in that the defamatory sting is true) or fair commentary. https://t.co/WHNv7TJjjB
— David “JoelKatz” Schwartz (@JoelKatz) October 21, 2024
Schwartz pointed to the difficulty the plaintiffs would face in proving that Trump acted with intentional recklessness. Specifically, he referenced Trump’s statement during the debate, where he said the five men “pled guilty to assault.”
The Ripple CTO acknowledged that while the statement was factually inaccurate, it would be challenging for the plaintiffs to demonstrate that this error was made with reckless disregard for the truth. “They have to prove this error resulted from intentional recklessness. How can they? And the sting is substantially true, they did say they committed assault,” Schwartz stated.
Public Counters Schwartz
In response to a user who commented on the coerced confessions of the Central Park Five, Schwartz agreed that the individuals had been wrongfully coerced by police. “I agree 100%. But that doesn’t change anything about the lawsuit,” the Ripple CTO replied.
Nonetheless, the user argued that Trump’s earlier comments, in which he referred to the five men as “muggers and murderers” before they had received proper due process, could potentially be considered defamatory. However, Schwartz dismissed this argument, questioning the rationale behind such a claim.
He wrote, “No. What would the argument be? That a reasonable person would understand him to be saying he personally witnessed them murdering someone?”
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, also points out other factual inaccuracies in Trump’s statements. These statements include the fact that none of the victims in the Central Park assaults were killed, as Trump had implied during the debate. Also, the case has drawn significant attention due to the historical significance of the Central Park Five case and Trump’s prior involvement in the matter, dating back to his controversial newspaper ads in 1989.
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