Donald Trumpā€˜s attempt to shut down a defamationĀ lawsuitĀ tied to his 2024 debate remarks about the Central Park Five was rejected Thursday by a federal judge in Pennsylvania.

U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone ruled that the case brought by Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown and Korey Wise could move forward, denying Trumpā€™s motion to dismiss,Ā CBS NewsĀ reports. The lawsuit centers on Trumpā€™s comments during a presidential debate with then Vice President Kamala Harris, where he falsely stated the five men had confessed and were responsible for killing someone. Harris had criticized Trump on stage for his long-standing role in the case, referencing the full-page newspaper ad he took out in 1989 calling for the death penalty after the five teens were arrested.

The 5 men were exonerated in 2002 after DNA evidence and a confession from another man cleared them of the 1989 rape and assault of a jogger in Central Park. Their original convictions were vacated after years of public scrutiny and legal battles.