George Zimmerman Suing Elizabeth Warren & Pete Buttigieg For Defamation
George Zimmerman has filed a defamation lawsuit against Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg; this following their tweets sent out on the birthday of Trayvon Martin, the teen Zimmerman killed.
Zimmerman alleges that the Democratic presidential candidates were “maliciously publishing false and misleading” information about his case in order to “garner votes in the black community.”
RELATED: George Zimmerman Sues Trayvon Martin’s Parents for $100M
Despite Zimmerman not being explicitly mentioned in the tweets, both Buttigieg and Warren framed Martin’s murder as a result of white supremacy and gun violence. Zimmerman is seeking $265 million “for loss of good will and reputation.”
Furthermore, CBSN legal contributor Keir Dougall says that Zimmerman’s case will be a tough one to win as the tweets will likely be considered political speech.
He says, “The First Amendment would be at its strongest in protecting this particular type of speech.”
RELATED: Boosie Badazz Claims He Didn’t Beat Up George Zimmerman
Warren’s tweet read, “My heart goes out to @SybrinaFulton and Trayvon’s family and friends. He should still be with us today. We need to end gun violence and racism. And we need to build a world where all of our children—especially young Black boys—can grow up safe and free.”
Buttigieg’s tweet read, “Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today. How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear?#BlackLivesMatter.“
My heart goes out to @SybrinaFulton and Trayvon's family and friends. He should still be with us today.
We need to end gun violence and racism. And we need to build a world where all of our children—especially young Black boys—can grow up safe and free. https://t.co/9lXXlRnvzL
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 6, 2020
Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today.
How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear?#BlackLivesMatter
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) February 5, 2020