George Zimmerman’s Defamation Lawsuit Against Trayvon Martin’s Parents Has Been Dismissed
George Zimmerman’s defamation and conspiracy lawsuit against Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, the parents of Trayvon Martin — the 17-year-old child he shot and killed nearly a decade ago — has been dismissed, according to the Associated Press.
As it was previously reported, Zimmerman filed the lawsuit against Martin’s parents back in 2019. He also sued their lawyer Ben Crump and accused them of trying to “destroy his good will and reputation in the community.” In addition to that, he claimed they tried to paint him as a racist and murderer who racially profiled Trayvon. The lawsuit also named Brittany Diamond Eugene, Rachel Jeantel, and HarperCollins Publishers, which published a book by Martin’s parents about the case, according to the news site.
However, Judge John Cooper in Tallahassee wrote that Zimmerman did not show “any fraudulent representation” and because of that “there can be no claim for conspiracy to defraud if there is no adequately stated claim for fraud.”
The suit sought $100M. As it was previously reported, Mr Zimmerman, who claimed he fired in self-defence under Florida’s controversial “stand your ground law,” was acquitted on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter after police initially did not arrest him for the killing.
Despite that, George Zimmerman continued to have trouble with the law following his trial. He was allegedly in deep debt and using schemes like selling art and the gun that killed Trayvon Martin to raise money.
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