The names George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin became household names in 2012 when Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Martin.
Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer when he shot the unarmed boy. He reported Martin, who was returning home from buying candy at the store, to authorities as being suspicious around 7pm on February 26, 2102. Zimmerman claims he was then attacked by Martin and only shot in self defense.
A jury acquitted Zimmerman of all charges in 2013.
Fast forward to present time, where a day after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that prosecutors will not charge Zimmerman with a hate crime, he slaps a lawsuit on prosecutors and Martin's family for $100 million. He says that the case was rested on false evidence.
Zimmerman is represented by Larry Klayman, a high-profile legal crusader tied to conservative causes and the founder of Judicial Watch before splitting with the activist group.
The Polk County Circuit Court suit cites information in a documentary about the case titled “The Trayvon Hoax” that accuses the Martin family of engineering false testimony, and the director has scheduled a press conference this week in Coral Gables to coincide with a film screening there.
As news of the lawsuit became widely reported Wednesday, the theater rented for the screening, Coral Gables Art Cinema, announced it was canceling the event. “Coral Gables Art Cinema was not aware of all of the details surrounding this event,” the theater posted on Twitter.
Zimmerman is seeking the $100 million in reparations of civil damages, alleging defamation, abuse of civil process and conspiracy.
The lead defendant in the suit is Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother who became a national figure in the wake of her son’s death as a campaign surrogate for Hillary Clinton and a national advocate for social justice and reducing gun deaths. She’s running for the District 1 seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission being vacated by a term-limited Barbara Jordan in the Miami Gardens area.
Of course she's a Clinton supporter.
Ben Crump, a lawyer who represented the Martin family and is listed as a defendant as well, issued a statement Wednesday that said in part: “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.”
Personally, it sounds like the unfortunate event was made out to be all about race. I was not there, so I cannot say whether or not Martin did actually attack Zimmerman, or if it was all made up. I do know, however, that if I was being attacked by someone, I would shoot them too.