Trayvon Martin’s family has responded to George Zimmerman’s $100 million lawsuit.
“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,” a Martin family spokesperson said.
“The plaintiff [George Zimmerman] continues to display a callous disregard for everyone but himself, revictimizing individuals whose lives were shattered by his own misguided actions. He would have us believe that he is the innocent victim of a deep conspiracy, despite the complete lack of any credible evidence to support his outlandish claims. This tale defies all logic, and it’s time to close the door on these baseless imaginings.”
After getting away with criminalizing and murdering Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman now seeks to sue Martin’s family members.
According to the Chicago Defender, Zimmerman filed a lawsuit against Martin’s parents and Ben Crump.
The lawsuit is predicated on a documentary and book by Joel Gilbert, who is known to have bigoted views. Gilbert released The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America, a film that claimed that the entire trial was a hoax.
Gilbert alleges that in March 2012, the Sanford Police Department investigated Trayvon Martin’s passing and initially closed the case as self-defense. However, Gilbert claims that Martin’s family attorney, Benjamin Crump, released an audio recording of a conversation with “Diamond Eugene” who was believed to be Trayvon’s girlfriend and the last person to speak with him before he was victimized by Zimmerman.
Gibert’s film alleges that Brittany Diamond Eugene would not testify against Zimmerman. However, Gilbert puts forth in the film that another friend of Trayvon’s, Rachel Jeantel, appeared before prosecutors and said that she was “Diamond Eugene” and provided false statements to incriminate Zimmerman.
Authorities have yet to reveal evidence to substantiate Gilbert’s claims.
And even if the claims were found to be true, it does not take away from the fact that Zimmerman harassed and followed Trayvon Martin. Due to Flordia’s archaic “stand your ground” laws, Zimmerman was found not guilty as he was protecting property.
Defendants in Zimmerman’s lawsuit includes Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, a 2020 candidate for Miami-Dade Commission; Martin’s father, Tracy Martin; attorney Benjamin Crump; Florida prosecutors Bernie de la Rionda, John Guy and Angela Corey; and the state of Florida.
