From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012, is now suing the Martin family and others for $100 million based on what he claims to be false evidence presented during the case.
Martin was shot and killed by Zimmerman as he returned from a store to his father’s house. Zimmerman called police and reported a suspicious person walking through the neighborhood prior to engaging with the teenager dressed in a hoodie and carrying skittles and a drink.
Zimmerman, who has run afoul of the law numerous times since the 2012 killing, claimed that Martin attacked him and he was simply defending himself when he shot and killed the teenager. A jury acquitted Zimmerman in 2013.
According to media reports, the suit, filed in the Polk County Circuit Court, argues that Zimmerman is the victim of malicious prosecution by prosecutors, the victim of defamation by both Martin’s defense attorney along with the HarperCollins Publishing company, and the victim of a civil conspiracy by Martin’s family and lawyer who Zimmerman claims put up a false witness, Rachel Jeantel, who attempted to create a false storyline during the trial.
Zimmerman seeks $100 million in civil damages. The suit claims that all defendants “have worked in concert to deprive Zimmerman of his constitutional and other legal rights.”