Third week of george zimmerman trial continues
Photo Credit: Gary W. Green-Pool/Getty Images
Photo Credit: Gary W. Green-Pool/Getty Images
Zimmerman is being represented by Larry Klayman, a former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor.
George Zimmerman has sued the family of Trayvon Martin and Florida prosecutors for $100 million.
The neighborhood watch volunteer was previously acquitted of homicide charges in 2012 following the fatal shooting of Martin, a 17-year-old Black high school student. Zimmerman is also suing individuals from the case which he claims "raised false evidence" the Miami Herald reports.
The suit filed in the Polk County Circuit Court seeks $100 million in "civil damages, alleging defamation, abuse of civil process and conspiracy." The paperwork shared with the media cites details in a documentary directed by Joe Gilbert on the case that accuses the Martin family of orchestrating false testimony.
Zimmerman is being represented by Larry Klayman, a former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor. Klayman, Gilbert and Zimmerman will be a part of a Coral Gables press conference slated for tomorrow, a film screening will also take place on Thursday.
Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Martin is the lead defendant in the suit. After being catapulted to the status of a national figure, Fulton supported Hillary Clinton and also spoke out against gun violence and social justice. She's currently running for the District 1 seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission.
The young teen formerly lived with his mother, who at the time was a County employee. He was visiting his father Tracy Martin on February 26, 2012 and died within a gated community where his father's fiancee lived. Before being fatally shot, Trayvon was purchasing candy and a drink. Zimmerman previously recalled that he looked suspicious to police in a phone call after 7 p.m.
What followed was contested in court, Zimmerman alleges "he was attacked by Martin and defended himself." Following an investigation police and prosecutors found that the teenager was involved in an "unjustified shooting." Despite this Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges in 2013.
The lawsuit also names prosecutors involved in the case including Ben Crump in addition to Harper Collins, the publisher which published Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People by Crump, who represented Trayvon Martin's family. The suit pushes Zimmerman's recollection of events and alleges that the Martin family created a false depiction of the evening of the teenager's death.
George Zimmerman's press conference takes place Thursday, December 5 at 12 p.m.
