Social Justice
Judge throws out George Zimmerman’s lawsuit against Trayvon Martin’s parents
Tallahassee judge John Cooper dismissed the lawsuit Monday, stating that Zimmerman had failed to show “any fraudulent representation” in his suit.
A Florida judge has dismissed a conspiracy and defamation lawsuit filed by George Zimmerman against the parents of Trayvon Martin.
George Zimmerman lawsuit thrown out
The NBC News reports that Tallahassee judge John Cooper dismissed the lawsuit Monday, stating that Zimmerman had failed to show “any fraudulent representation” in his suit.
“There can be no claim for conspiracy to defraud if there is no adequately stated claim for fraud,” the order read, according to the Associated Press.
2012 fatal shooting
George Zimmerman fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012 after profiling the teenager.
Zimmerman was patrolling his housing development in Sanford, Fla. as part of a neighborhood watch program when he spotted Martin, who was walking home in a hoodie after buying snacks at a local convenience store.
Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges in the fatal shooting in 2013. He said he shot Martin in self-defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Prosecutors claimed Zimmerman racially profiled Martin and continued to pursue the teen despite the advice of an emergency dispatcher to refrain from doing so.
George Zimmerman lawsuit
In the lawsuit, Zimmerman claimed that a key witness in his 2013 trial, Rachel Jeantel, falsified her claims so she could testify instead of her half-sister, Brittany Diamond Eugene.
He also claimed a book written by Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, falsely painted him as a racist. Martin was Black, Zimmerman is white and Hispanic.
Cooper’s ruling stated that Zimmerman’s lawsuit failed to provide enough proof of his claims to move forward.
The lawsuit also named Jeantel, Eugene, publisher HarperCollins and family attorney Ben Crump as defendants.
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