George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin in 2012, is suing Martin’s family for $100 million, claiming that they fabricated evidence in the trial that ended with Zimmerman being acquitted; Zimmerman alleged that the killing was in self-defense. Now, per the Sun Sentinel, Zimmerman and his attorney, Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch founder Larry Klayman, claim that one of the witnesses who testified, Rachel Jeantel was coached on what to say and included false testimony.
The new suit alleges that now-18-year-old Jeantel told prosecutors her name was Diamond Eugene “and provided false statements to incriminate Zimmerman based on coaching from others.” They also say that she “lied repeatedly to cause Zimmerman’s arrest and to try to send him to prison for life.”
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Klayman said that the allegations didn’t come out during the trial, but it was “the fraud that was perpetuated on the court.” He later added, “It was a complete travesty of justice which destroyed my client’s life.”
The suit also indicates that Zimmerman is suing civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump and HarperCollins Publishers, as well, accusing them of defaming him in Crump’s book, Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People. Per the suit, the allegations against Crump and HarperCollins cite that they acted “with actual malice knowing the untruth or at a minimum a reckless disregard for the truth.”
Following the news of Zimmerman’s lawsuit, many social media users have taken to Twitter to comment on it, with many criticizing the move.
George Zimmerman literally got away with murder and is now suing Trayvon Martin’s parents for $100 million. This guy has got to be the lowest of the low pos on earth.
— Rafranz 👩🏾💻 (@RafranzDavis) December 4, 2019
“George Zimmerman is now suing the family of Trayvon Martin for $100 million dollars. He murdered Trayvon, in cold blood and auctioned off the murder weapon for $250,000.00. He should be in prison,” one angry user said.
“Woke up and got on Twitter to see George Zimmerman trending because he is suing Trayvon Martin’s family. And I think that’s all the Twitter my spirit can handle today,” someone else said.
George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin almost 8 years ago, walked on all charges, and now has the unmitigated audacity to sue his victim’s parents for $100 million? pic.twitter.com/V1PebKpuNh
— Karim Walker (Part of The Residue)🌹 (@shift_in2_turbo) December 4, 2019
At this time, Martin’s family has not commented on the lawsuit.
Photo Credit: Joe Burbank-Pool/Getty Images
