George Zimmerman sues Trayvon Martin’s family and prosecutors for $100 million; attorney blasts it as ‘reckless’
The killer of Trayvon Martin is suing a host of people his lawyer said provided bogus testimony and evidence in order to convict the embattled Florida man
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George Zimmerman, is suing the family of Trayvon Martin, prosecutors and many others who were involved in the high profile case — which he claims rested mostly on false evidence. Not surprisingly, community leaders have already come forward and blasted what they believe is a “reckless” and “shameless” attempt to make a profit.
According to The Miami Herald, Wednesday, the neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted of homicide charges in the 2012 fatal shooting of unarmed 17-year-old Miami high schooler, had his attorney, Larry Klayman, send a copy of the suit sent to the media.
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In the Polk County Circuit Court suit, Martin’s family is accused or orchestrating false testimony. Zimmerman is seeking $100 million in civil damages, alleging defamation, abuse of civil process and conspiracy. And to garner more attention for this case, Klayman — a conservative activist and the founder of Judicial Watch — has also scheduled a press conference this week in Coral Gables to promote a film and book called “The Trayvon Hoax” which claims to disprove information submitted during Zimmerman’s trial. Director Joel Gilbert will appear at the conference with Klayman and Zimmerman.
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The lead defendants in the suit are Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, who since her son’s death has become a national advocate for social justice and reducing gun deaths and is running for Miami-Dade County Commission and his father Tracy Martin, who co-founded the Trayvon Martin Foundation. Also named as a defendant is Ben Crump, a lawyer who represented the Martin family and Rachel Jeantel, who testified in Zimmerman’s trial. Interestingly, several people on the prosecution team from the 2013 trial are also named as defendants including then-Florida state’s attorney Angela Corey, and assistant state’s attorneys Bernie de la Rionda and John Guy. Along with them the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has also been named.
But Crump calls nonsense on it all.
“I have every confidence that this unfounded and reckless lawsuit will be revealed for what it is – another failed attempt to defend the indefensible and a shameless attempt to profit off the lives and grief of others,” Crump said in a statement issued Wednesday.
“This plaintiff continues to display a callous disregard for everyone but himself, revictimizing individuals whose lives were shattered by his own misguided actions,” he continued. “He would have us believe that he is the innocent victim of a deep conspiracy, despite the complete lack of any credible evidence to support his outlandish claims. This tale defies all logic, and it’s time to close the door on these baseless imaginings.”
Zimmerman, 36, has spent his life under scrutiny after his acquittal and has been in trouble with the law several times including a 2013 accusation from his former girlfriend that he had pointed a shotgun at her and damaged her personal property. The incident resulted in an aggravated assault with a weapon charge, along with domestic violence battery. Several other incidents followed, including another accusation of aggravated assault and a 2014 road rage incident between himself and an individual named Matthew Apperson, which resulted in the latter shooting at Zimmerman. Apperson was later convicted of attempted murder.
In 2018, Zimmerman was charged with the stalking of a private investigator who was working with Jay-Z and filmmaker Michael Gasparro on the documentary Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story.
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