POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman is suing the family of Trayvon Martin, along with prosecutors and others, for $100 million.
Zimmerman was acquitted of shooting and killing the 17-year-old Martin in their Sanford neighborhood in 2012.
The lawsuit, filed in Polk County, lists Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, as defendants, along with Benjamin Crump, the Martin family attorney, former State Attorney Angela Corey, prosecutors Bernie de la Rionda and John Guy, Rachel Jeantel, Brittany Diamond Eugene, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State of Florida, and HarperCollins Publishers.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants conspired to use a "fake witness" to provide a "false storyline to prosecutors in order to cause Zimmerman to be arrested, tried, and convicted for second degree murder."
The lawsuit also claims Crump defamed Zimmerman in his new book, "Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People," which was published by HarperCollins on Oct. 15, 2019.
The suit seeks $100 million in civil damages, claiming Zimmerman's constitutional rights were violated.
Zimmerman's attorney, Larry Klayman, has scheduled a Thursday news conference in Coral Gables, Florida, at noon.
You can read a copy of the lawsuit by clicking here.
