Trayvon Martin Parents May Bring Lawsuit Against George Zimmerman
The parents of Trayvon Martin said they would consider filing a civil lawsuit against George Zimmerman for the shooting death of their son, UPI reported on Thursday, February 21.
Tallahassee attorney Benjamin Crump filed a pleading on Wednesday in opposition of a motion by Zimmerman’s attorney forcing him to provide a deposition regarding his interview with a possible witness in the case.
It was at that time that attorney Bruce Blackwell, speaking on behalf of Crump, said, “Attorney Crump has been retained by the victim’s parents to assert civil claims against defendant.”
February 26 will mark the one-year-anniversary of Martin’s death, which Zimmerman claims was an act of self-defense. Zimmerman posted a photo of his battered and bloodied face in December 2012 to lend credence to the claim.
The case has brought attention to Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, which could protect Zimmerman from a conviction if a jury were to determine the shooting of the unarmed teen was an act of self-defense.
Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, has supported lawmakers’ efforts to repeal the law, according to Orlando’s News 13.
Crump responded to the self-defense claim by turning it back on Zimmerman. “Like the police said, if George Zimmerman never would have gotten out of his car and pursued Trayvon Martin, there never would have been an interaction between Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman … Trayvon Martin has a right to defend himself,” Crump said in a December statement to TheGrio.
Recent developments in the case have included Zimmerman being denied a request for delaying the trial on Martin’s eighteenth birthday and Martin’s parents seeking claims against the homeowners association in Sanford, Florida, where the shooting occurred, The New York Daily News reported.
It was unclear until Thursday whether the parents of Trayvon Martin were also considering litigation against Zimmerman.
Do you think George Zimmerman was justified in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin?
[Image via Ira Bostic / Shutterstock.com]
