George Zimmerman Suing Trayvon Martin's Family, Prosecutors, Book Publisher For $100 Million

In yet another bizarre turn of events concerning disgraced former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, he is now suing the family of Trayvon Martin.

Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013 in the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Martin. He had claimed he shot the teen in self-defense while prosecutors characterized the situation as a man stalking, chasing down, and killing an unarmed kid holding Skittles and a drink. The shooting sparked protests and a national debate about race and the stand-your-ground law.

Even though Zimmerman was acquitted on all charges, he is now suing Martin’s family, along with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, prosecutors, and a book publisher for 100 million, claiming that evidence presented in the trial was false, WPBF in Tequesta, Florida reports. The lawsuit seeks $100 million in civil damages, claiming Zimmerman’s constitutional rights were violated.

A lawsuit was filed in Polk, Florida where Zimmerman currently lives by right-wing activist lawyer and former U.S. Justice Department prosecutor Larry Klayman. It claims that Martin’s family falsified testimony, claiming Rachel Jeantel, the prosecutor’s key witness, was “an imposter and fake witness,” according to WPBF.

Jeantel had testified that she was on the phone with Martin as he walked home from a convenience store and said he noticed Zimmerman, whom she said Martin called creepy, following him.

The lawsuit also targets book publisher Harper Collins for publishing Crump’s “Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People,” which was released this fall. Crump also represented the Martin family.

“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,” he said in a statement, provided to the Miami Herald.

Since Zimmerman’s controversial acquittal, he has been unable to stay out of the spotlight. The same year he dodged jail, he was arrested on domestic violence battery after allegedly pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend, but the charges were dropped, Newsweek reported. Zimmerman was arrested again in 2015 for allegedly throwing a wine bottle at a girlfriend. Charges were also dropped in that incident.

Zimmer was also shot and endured minor injuries during a 2015 altercation with a man named Matthew Apperson. One year earlier, Apperson claimed Zimmerman threatened to kill him. Apperson was sentenced to 20 years for attempted murder in 2016, the Orlando Sentinel reported at the time.

Zimmerman has also recently been kicked off dating apps Bumble and Tinder.