GEORGE ZIMMERMAN

A new, 63-page IRS tax filing shared exclusively with The Associated Press shows the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation Inc. ended its last fiscal year with nearly $42 million in net assets.

In an exclusive interview, Patrisse Cullors, the former leader of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, tells The Associated Press that neither she nor anyone else in leadership has misused millions of dollars in donations.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (AP) — Attorneys for Parkland, Florida, school shooter, Nikolas Cruz, will have one goal when jury selection starts Monday: to identify candidates who might give Cruz the single vote he needs to get a life sentence instead of death for the 2018 murders of 17 students and staff members. The process will involve a lot of educated guesses. Those chosen must say they can put aside their animosity toward Cruz for the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and judge the case fairly. Commission highlights safety issues, delayed response during Parkland shootingThe potential jurors must also be available through September. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV.

A decade after the Florida teen’s death, the clothes he wore have found their place in history

Some of Martin’s friends said they were a bit ignorant about racism and Black history before his death and that his trial delivered bitter spoonfuls of truth that are still relevant.

Black Americans are especially likely to remember.

The shooting refocused attention on race and justice in the United States.

The shooting refocused attention on race and justice in the United States.

Trayvon Martin Anniversary Rev. "Today is a bittersweet day," said Fulton, who with her family created the Trayvon Martin Foundation to raise awareness of gun violence. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) (Bebeto Matthews)NEW YORK — (AP) — The mother of Trayvon Martin used the 10th anniversary of her son's death Saturday to urge those who sought justice for her family to continue to fight. Trayvon Martin had been wearing a similar sweatshirt when he was fatally shot on his way back from a store while visiting his father in a gated community in the Orlando suburb. "Today is a bittersweet day," said Fulton, who with her family created the Trayvon Martin Foundation to raise awareness of gun violence.

NEW YORK — (AP) — The mother of Trayvon Martin used the 10th anniversary of her son's death Saturday to urge those who sought justice for her family to continue to fight. Trayvon Martin had been wearing a similar sweatshirt when he was fatally shot on his way back from a store while visiting his father in a gated community in the Orlando suburb. "Today is a bittersweet day," said Fulton, who with her family created the Trayvon Martin Foundation to raise awareness of gun violence. "I thank God for all the Trayvon Martins that you don't know, all the young ladies who have been shot and killed and our Black and brown boys who have been shot and killed and you don't know their names. And if you don't do anything else, don't give up."

The mother of Trayvon Martin is marking the 10th anniversary of her son’s death by thanking those who sought justice for her family and urging them to continue to fight.

SANFORD, Fla. — Saturday marks 10 years since Trayvon Marin was killed in Sanford. It happened on Feb. 26, 2012, when Martin was visiting his father in a gated community in the city. READ: Trayvon Martin, 10 years later: Teen’s death changes nationMartin was shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who was ultimately acquitted after claiming he fired in self-defense. READ: Trayvon Martin 10th anniversary: A look at the playersThe city of Sanford is commissioning a permanent display to remember Martin and the peaceful rallies and protests that happened after his death. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

That was the first high-profile civil rights case at the national level for Ben Crump, a Black attorney from Florida. Now, Crump is a familiar presence at almost every major civil rights case in the country. Crump pushed for Zimmerman's arrest and joined with many prominent civil rights leaders to stage demonstrations calling for charges. When Crump thinks about the Trayvon Martin case, he said it's clear there is much more work to be done. “I think about Trayvon Martin and the unknown Trayvon Martins, so often, when we think about the history of America.

That was the first high-profile civil rights case at the national level for Ben Crump, a Black attorney from Florida. Now, Crump is a familiar presence at almost every major civil rights case in the country. Crump pushed for Zimmerman's arrest and joined with many prominent civil rights leaders to stage demonstrations calling for charges. When Crump thinks about the Trayvon Martin case, he said it's clear there is much more work to be done. “I think about Trayvon Martin and the unknown Trayvon Martins, so often, when we think about the history of America.

That was the first high-profile civil rights case at the national level for Ben Crump, a Black attorney from Florida. Now, Crump is a familiar presence at almost every major civil rights case in the country. Crump pushed for Zimmerman's arrest and joined with many prominent civil rights leaders to stage demonstrations calling for charges. When Crump thinks about the Trayvon Martin case, he said it's clear there is much more work to be done. “I think about Trayvon Martin and the unknown Trayvon Martins, so often, when we think about the history of America.

Before Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor and other Black people died at the hands of white police officers or self-appointed vigilantes, there was Martin Lee Anderson.

The 7th Annual Native American Festival is at Princess Place Preserve, the assassination of Trayvon Martin 10 years later.

Stand-your-ground laws have spread to most states in the United States, propelled by gun groups and lawmakers of both parties. For some, the policy is also a response to public anxieties during a pandemic marked by rising violent crime.

Florida civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump recalls being in court in early 2012 when he received a phone call from a fellow lawyer whose relative had been fatally shot in Sanford days earlier.

Trayvon Martin’s death inspired a new generation of protests against police and vigilante violence toward Black people, one that would go on to highlight systemic racism in nearly every aspect of American life.

The study found a national increase of up to 11% in homicide rates per month between 1999 and 2017 in those states with stand your ground laws. “These findings suggest that adoption of (stand your ground) laws across the U.S. was associated with increases in violent deaths, deaths that could potentially have been avoided,” the study's authors concluded. While that case could have been covered by other self-defense laws, Gottlieb said “stand your ground” laws offer reassurance. Gun control activists say the increasing presence of guns and laws like stand your ground are a deadly combination. The shooter was later acquitted under “stand your ground” law, leaving her family reeling.

The study found a national increase of up to 11% in homicide rates per month between 1999 and 2017 in those states with stand your ground laws. “These findings suggest that adoption of (stand your ground) laws across the U.S. was associated with increases in violent deaths, deaths that could potentially have been avoided,” the study's authors concluded. While that case could have been covered by other self-defense laws, Gottlieb said “stand your ground” laws offer reassurance. Gun control activists say the increasing presence of guns and laws like stand your ground are a deadly combination. The shooter was later acquitted under “stand your ground” law, leaving her family reeling.

Ten years ago when Trayvon Martin was fatally shot, Florida was one of the few states with “stand your ground” laws that eased use of deadly force in the face of danger.

February is not only Black History Month, but also the month the 17-year-old was born—and the month he was killed. And since his death, Sanford Police Department has instilled changes for the betterment of the community.

ORLANDO, Fla. — (AP) — Trayvon Martin was visiting his father in Sanford, Florida, when the 17-year-old Black teen was fatally shot Feb. 26, 2012, during a confrontation with George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Martin's death and subsequent protests lit the spark that eventually grew to become the social justice movement Black Lives Matter. In 2018, he was issued a summons for misdemeanor stalking for allegedly threatening an investigator who was helping with a documentary on Martin. Fulton and Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, also formed a foundation that supports families affected by gun violence and promotes education. In the decade since Martin's death, the city has tried to address its racial conflicts.

Trayvon Martin was visiting his father in Sanford, Florida, when the 17-year-old Black teen was fatally shot Feb. 26, 2012, during a confrontation with George Zimmerman.

The killing of Trayvon Martin at the hands of a stranger still reverberates 10 years later -- in protest, in partisanship, in racial reckoning and reactionary response, in social justice and social media. (AP Photo/Julie Fletcher, File) (Julie Fletcher)SANFORD, Fla. — Trayvon Martin’s final night began with a convenience store run, a quick trip for candy and something to drink. READ: Miami street will be named for Trayvon Martin“We’re the Trayvon Martin generation, we are the people who were moved into action because of it.”It happened on Feb. 26, 2012. Walking on the way back from the store, he was eyed by George Zimmerman, then 28, a member of the community’s neighborhood watch. But the ferment unleashed by Trayvon Martin’s death did not stop.

The killing of Trayvon Martin at the hands of a stranger still reverberates 10 years later -- in protest, in partisanship, in racial reckoning and reactionary response, in social justice and social media. “We’re the Trayvon Martin generation, we are the people who were moved into action because of it.”It happened on Feb. 26, 2012. But the ferment unleashed by Trayvon Martin’s death did not stop. Others acknowledge that Martin’s death and its aftermath changed the country, but question whether the change was even remotely sufficient. “I think Trayvon shifted the culture where people started looking at things a little differently and nothing to me personifies that more than Arbery,” Sharpton said.

The killing of Trayvon Martin at the hands of a stranger still reverberates 10 years later -- in protest, in partisanship, in racial reckoning and reactionary response, in social justice and social media.

Rapper Fat Joe recalls how communities "bonded together" after Trayvon Martin's death, sparking a massive movement.

New York Times columnist Charles Blow reflects on how the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin – like the 1955 lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till – sparked protest movements led by mothers with tears on their cheeks but steel in their spines.

A judge in Florida has dismissed a defamation and conspiracy lawsuit former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman had filed against the parents of Trayvon Martin, the teen he fatally shot almost a decade ago.

Unsatisfied with the local investigation, his mother enlisted civil rights attorney Ben Crump in December to keep pressure on law enforcement to find answers about what happened to Jelani Day.

Which acts of violence are considered legitimate self-defense has always been highly political.

A Wisconsin jury decided that Rittenhouse’s conduct was justified, even though the prosecution argued that he provoked the violent encounter.

It's boggling how racists can engineer a situation in which a Black man dies, then claim they had to kill him.

42-year-old, Matthew Apperson, the man sentenced for the attempted murder of George Zimmerman, is set to get a new trial.

Attorney Harold "Hal" Uhrig, who represented George Zimmerman for a time while Zimmerman was on trial for killing Trayvon Martin,  has been arrested and charged...

Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, is stepping down as executive director of the movement's foundation.

Many Black men and women in the U.S. are keeping tabs on what’s unfolding in the televised murder trial of white former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, taking in what they can before turning away to allow their anger and hurt to subside.

In this image from Minneapolis city surveillance video, Minneapolis police are seen attempting to take George Floyd into custody May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minn. Floyd’s name is more widely known than Chauvin, but calling it the “Floyd trial” would wrongly imply that the victim was the one on trial. Most called it the Chauvin trial. CourtTV called it “The Death of George Floyd Murder Trial.” ABC said it was the “Derek Chauvin Trial, 10 Months After George Floyd’s Death.”For some of the specialty networks, the trial offers a rare opportunity to increase viewership, both on the air and online. CBS' website will carry its own coverage, along with that of the network's Minneapolis affiliate, he said.

The 15-member “Race, Equality, Equity and Inclusion" group will be made up of residents, people who work in Sanford and business owners, the Orlando Sentinel reported. AdThey're being asked to deliver a report detailing its findings to the city commission in about eight months. Martin's death helped lead to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013. Today, two of the city's commissioners, the police chief and city manager are Black. The city will provide the committee with up to $35,000 to pay for technical assistance, conducting surveys and other costs.

This marks the first time in the movement’s nearly eight-year history that BLM leaders have revealed a detailed look at their finances. The foundation said it committed $21.7 million in grant funding to official and unofficial BLM chapters, as well as 30 Black-led local organizations. In its report, the BLM foundation said individual donations via its main fundraising platform averaged $30.76. “Because the BLM movement was larger than life — and it is larger than life — people made very huge assumptions about what our actual finances looked like,” Cullors said. Leaders at the BLM foundation admit that they have not been clear about the movement’s finances and governance over the years.

MIAMI – A section of road that leads to the South Florida high school that Trayvon Martin attended now bears the name of the Black teenager whose 2012 death sparked a movement for social justice. The road became Trayvon Martin Avenue during a brief ceremony on Thursday morning near Dr. Michael K. Krop Senior High, where the teen was in 11th grade when he was killed. “Our students every morning will come out here and see the road that bears Trayvon’s name. Martin, 17, was shot dead while visiting his father in Sanford in 2012. Zimmerman’s acquittal under Florida’s self-defense law in July 2013 sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Black Lives Matter saved us, because we had nobody,” said Jones. Now, BLM’s influence faces a test, as voters in Tuesday’s election consider candidates who endorsed or denounced the BLM movement amid a national reckoning on race. Enter Black Lives Matter. Across social media platforms, the Black Lives Matter movement boasts a following of millions. “Black Lives Matter,” as a slogan, elicited “All Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter” responses from foes.

Trust between the community and the police was broken and the world was watching to see what would happen next. In 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman during a struggle after Zimmerman followed Martin, believing Martin was suspicious. “One of the things we constantly heard is we don’t have people who look like us, sound like us, or understand us or are from our community,” Smith said. FPCA Chair Chief Anthony Holloway of the St. Petersburg Police Department said the FPCA is “serious” about its work. The Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA) is the nation’s pre-eminent law enforcement professional association, speaking for more than 900 of Florida’s top law enforcement executives, and providing guidance and leadership for the future of law enforcement and our communities, according to the FPCA.

Black Lives Matter leader states, If U.S. doesnt give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it. Hawk Newsome has no relation to the Black Lives Matter Global Network, Scales said. Reached by phone Thursday night, Newsome said Black Lives Matter Greater New York is now under the leadership of Black women. He also said Black Lives Matter is not a movement over which anyone can claim ownership. In Washington, D.C., the mayor ordered the words Black Lives Matter painted across a street near the White House, which also has been renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza.

This image released by Lionsgate shows co-writer/directors Christopher Renz, left, and Gerard Bush on the set of "Antebellum." Filmmakers Bush and Renz planned to release their feature-length debut film, Antebellum, in the spring of 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic exploded internationally. In Antebellum, Mone gives moviegoers a modern Black heroine who takes charge of her own liberation without a male-dominated cavalry. Their path to feature-length films with a racial justice message has been a long time coming, Bush and Renz said. Even as they anticipate finding box office success with Antebellum, Bush and Renz are already at work on their second feature-length script, under a newly formed production company, Gloaming Pictures.

The fund includes $6 million in donations to support Black-led grassroots organizing groups. Two weeks ago, it unveiled a separate $6.5 million fund for its network of affiliate chapters. Color of Change, one of the largest online racial justice organizations, didn’t quantify how much donations have increased over the past few weeks. The fund, called the “The Emergency Fund For Racial Justice” is in partnership with the Amalgamated Foundation. Michael Jordan pledged $100 million over the next 10 years to organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education.

Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, the group behind the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, has established a more than $12 million fund to aid organizations fighting institutional racism in the wake of the George Floyd protests. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)NEW YORK – The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation has established a fund worth more than $12 million to aid organizations fighting institutional racism, in the wake of the George Floyd protests. Although there are many groups that use “Black Lives Matter” or “BLM” in their names, only 16 are considered affiliates of the global network. The Black Lives Matter movement emerged in 2013 amid anger over the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the Florida man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012. “I’m really proud of the work we’ve been able to do in the last seven years,” Patrisse Cullors, co-founder and chairwoman of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, said in a statement.

MIAMI – The mother of Trayvon Martin joined hundreds of demonstrators at a rally in downtown Miami on Sunday, demanding racial equality following the death of George Floyd last month at the hands of a white police officer in Minnesota. At one point, demonstrators lined up U.S. flags that spelled out “RESIST” on a blocked-off downtown street. Nearby at a separate protest, dozens of police supporters waved flags and chanted “We support the police!” at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. At one point, about three dozen officers on bikes rode by the protesters and gave high-fives to supporters who applauded and took photos. The Miami Beach protest was led by Egyptia Green, a rising eighth grader who also led another protest last week.

MIAMI The mother of Trayvon Martin joined hundreds of demonstrators at a rally in downtown Miami on Sunday, demanding racial equality following the death of George Floyd last month at the hands of a white police officer in Minnesota. At one point, demonstrators lined up U.S. flags that spelled out RESIST on a blocked-off downtown street. Nearby at a separate protest, dozens of police supporters waved flags and chanted We support the police! at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. At one point, about three dozen officers on bikes rode by the protesters and gave high-fives to supporters who applauded and took photos. The Miami Beach protest was led by Egyptia Green, a rising eighth grader who also led another protest last week.

Black Lives Matter has gone mainstream and black activists are carefully assessing how they should respond. Its very name enraged its foes, who countered with the slogans Blue Lives Matter and All Lives Matter." Black Lives Matter has gone mainstream and black activists are carefully assessing how they should respond. When we started Black Lives Matter, it was really to have a larger conversation around this country about its relationship to black people, said Patrisse Cullors, one of three black women who founded the Black Lives Matter Global Network, with chapters throughout the U.S. and in Britain and Canada. Last week, longtime Sacramento Kings TV broadcaster Grant Napear resigned after tweeting ALL LIVES MATTER when asked his opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement.

The footage of Arbery’s death was not the only thing that rattled the nation’s conscience. “The slothfulness and inaction of the judicial system, in this case, is a gross testament to the blatant white racial privileges that permeates throughout our country and our institutions." A Georgia Bureau of Investigation statement said the McMichaels confronted Arbery with two firearms and that Travis McMichael fatally shot Arbery. While likening Arbery’s death to a lynching may seem like an apt comparison, doing so isn’t sufficient for understanding why the man’s death is a tragedy, said Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative. The organization has cataloged more than 4,400 racial terror lynchings in the U.S. that took place between Reconstruction and World War II.

The suit names Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg as defendants. The suit claims Warren and Buttigieg separately defamed Zimmerman in Twitter statements Feb. 5 recognizing what would have been Trayvon Martins 25th birthday. We need to end gun violence and racism. Martin noticed Zimmerman and confronted him, and a struggle ensued in which Zimmerman fatally shot the teenager. We need to end gun violence and racism.

The suit names Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg as defendants. The suit claims Warren and Buttigieg separately defamed Zimmerman in Twitter statements Feb. 5 recognizing what would have been Trayvon Martins 25th birthday. We need to end gun violence and racism. Martin noticed Zimmerman and confronted him, and a struggle ensued in which Zimmerman fatally shot the teenager. We need to end gun violence and racism.

The suit names Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg as defendants. The suit claims Warren and Buttigieg separately defamed Zimmerman in Twitter statements Feb. 5 recognizing what would have been Trayvon Martins 25th birthday. We need to end gun violence and racism. Martin noticed Zimmerman and confronted him, and a struggle ensued in which Zimmerman fatally shot the teenager. We need to end gun violence and racism.

George Zimmerman has filed a lawsuit against Democratic presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren, after he claimed both candidates damaged his reputation while paying tribute to Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman claims the candidates were attempting to “garner votes in the black community,” Newsweek.com reported. We need to end gun violence and racism. https://t.co/9lXXlRnvzL — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 6, 2020According to Zimmerman’s lawsuit, both Warren and Buttigieg falsely connected Martin’s death with gun violence, even though he claims he acted in self-defense on the night of the shooting. Warren and Buttigieg’s tweets were used as a part of their “political agenda to garner votes in the black community,” the lawsuit added.

click to enlarge Screenshot via Joel Gilbert/YouTubewho shot and killed unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford on Feb. 26, 2012, has filed suit against presidential hopefuls PeteButtigiegand Sen. Elizabeth Warren for posting tweets about Martin on Feb. 5, which would have been his 25th birthday. The lawsuit argues, though the tweets never mention him by name, the posts unfairly tie him to white supremacy and gun violence. George Zimmerman, the man

In this undated photo made available by the Modell family, Ryan Modell, right, visits Paris with his father Sandy Modell. Sandy Modell is asking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to reopen the investigation into his son's 2016 shooting death during an altercation at Ryan Modell's Fort Myers, Fla., condominium complex. Local prosecutors declined to charge the shooter, Steve Taylor, citing the state's "stand your ground" law, a decision Sandy Modell wants reversed. (Modell family via AP)

In this undated photo made available by the Modell family, Ryan Modell, right, visits Paris with his father Sandy Modell. Local prosecutors declined to charge the shooter, Steve Taylor, citing the state's "stand your ground" law, a decision Sandy Modell wants reversed. (Modell family via AP)FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In a case involving Florida's controversial “stand your ground” law, Gov. In both the Martin and Modell slayings, prosecutors cited the “stand your ground” law in deciding, at least initially, not to prosecute. In the Modell case, O'Mara argues that “stand your ground” does not apply.

For Florida, 2010s also included two headline-grabbing murder trials, and a devastating hit in 2018 from Hurricane MichaelFORT LAUDERDALE For Florida, the 2010s were a decade of high-profile mass shootings: at a nightclub, a high school, an airport and a naval base plus two headline-grabbing murder trials that ended in acquittals. Meanwhile, in politics, Rick Scott began 2010 as a near-unknown, was elected governor 11 months later and eventually defeated U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. MASS SHOOTINGSFour times Florida found itself in the 2010s dealing with a high-profile mass shooting, leaving 74 victims dead, changes to its gun laws and a group of motivated young survivors who pushed their message nationally. Scott won and narrowly defeated Democrat Alex Sink in the general election, spending $75 million of his own money. In 2018, Scott challenged Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who was seeking a fourth term.

Zimmerman, tried and acquitted of homicide charges in 2013, now claims police and prosecutors conspired with Martin's family to fabricate a narrative that cited what the Sanford, Florida, man alleges was false evidence. Who fatally shot Martin was never in dispute. The attorney who represented Martin's family, Ben Crump, went on to write a book titled "Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People," which was published by Harper Collins in October. The lawsuit claims all defendants "have worked in concert to deprive Zimmerman of his constitutional and other related legal rights." Zimmerman has been in criminal trouble multiple times since he fatally shot Martin in 2012.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Former Florida volunteer community watchman George Zimmerman, whose 2012 killing of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin drew attention across the United States, sued Martins family and lawyers on Wednesday, saying they used a fake witness against him. FILE PHOTO: George Zimmerman listens to the judge during his first-appearance hearing in Sanford, Florida November 19, 2013. On Feb. 26, 2012, Zimmerman, who was then a neighborhood watch captain in a gated community in Sanford, Florida, fatally shot Martin after the teens trip to a convenience store to buy snacks. During the 2013 trial, prosecutors argued Zimmerman profiled, pursued and confronted the black youth. Zimmerman claimed he shot Martin in self defense and was found not guilty by a jury.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – George Zimmerman is suing Trayvon Martin’s family, prosecutors and others for $100 million. Zimmerman, a Sanford neighborhood watch volunteer in 2012, was acquitted of homicide in the fatal shooting of Martin, who was 17 years old. The lawsuit, filed in Polk County, where Zimmerman now lives, cites information in a documentary about the case that accuses the Martin family of engineering false testimony. According to the newly filed lawsuit, Zimmerman cites a documentary about the case accusing Martin’s family of lying about a witness who testified. Zimmerman filed a defamation lawsuit against NBC News several years ago, claiming the media company had maliciously edited phone calls Zimmerman placed to 911 shortly after he shot and killed Martin.

George Zimmerman, the Florida man acquitted in the 2012 death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, is suing Martin's family, prosecutors and others involved in the case for $100 million. They allege that the prosecution's key witness, Rachel Jeantel, was an "imposter and fake witness" and that Benjamin Crump, the Martin family's attorney, defamed Zimmerman in the process. They also allege that Jeantel lied repeatedly in court, while Martin's supposed "real girlfriend," Brittany Diamond Eugene, "refused to bear false witness" against Zimmerman. The suit alleges that Martin's parents, attorney and several others involved in the case knew about the "imposter witness." Trayvon Martin's mother: "I chose to live"The lead defendant in the suit, Martin's mother Sybrina Fulton, has become a national advocate against gun violence in the wake of her son's death.

Naturally, she was a key witness for the prosecution.The Miami native, a 19-year-old high school senior when the shooting took place, was inconsistent on the stand during Zimmerman's trial. Jeantel's demeanor oscillated between bullish defiance and subdued exasperation. Her factual testimony suffered from apparent discrepancies, like when she admitted she didn't write a letter to Martin's mother but asked a friend to write it, along with questions about why she signed the letter "Diamond Eugene. "When Zimmerman walked free after his murder trial, Jeantel partly blamed herself . The suit alleges that Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, and Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump all knew about it, along with state prosecutors Bernie de la Rionda, John Guy and Angela Corey.

Trayvon Martin was killed during a struggle with George Zimmerman, who was a Neighborhood Watch volunteer. According to the lawsuit, Brittany Diamond Eugene didn't want to testify that she had been talking to Martin before he was killed. Martin was killed during a struggle with Zimmerman, who was a Neighborhood Watch volunteer. Zimmerman's trial raised questions about race and Florida's "stand your ground" self-defense law which allows people to use force without retreating if they feel threatened. Zimmerman's lawyer in the lawsuit, Larry Klayman, was planning news conference in South Florida on Thursday to discuss the complaint.

Zimmerman, tried and acquitted of homicide charges in 2013, now claims police and prosecutors conspired with Martin's family to fabricate a narrative that cited what the Sanford, Florida, man alleges was false evidence. Who fatally shot Martin was never in dispute. The attorney who represented Martin's family, Ben Crump, went on to write a book titled "Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People," which was published by Harper Collins in October. The lawsuit claims all defendants "have worked in concert to deprive Zimmerman of his constitutional and other related legal rights." Zimmerman has been in criminal trouble multiple times since he fatally shot Martin in 2012.

Zimmerman, tried and acquitted of homicide charges in 2013, now claims police and prosecutors conspired with Martin's family to fabricate a narrative that cited what the Sanford, Florida, man alleges was false evidence. Who fatally shot Martin was never in dispute. The attorney who represented Martin's family, Ben Crump, went on to write a book titled "Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People," which was published by Harper Collins in October. The lawsuit claims all defendants "have worked in concert to deprive Zimmerman of his constitutional and other related legal rights." Zimmerman has been in criminal trouble multiple times since he fatally shot Martin in 2012.

Zimmerman, tried and acquitted of homicide charges in 2013, now claims police and prosecutors conspired with Martin's family to fabricate a narrative that cited what the Sanford, Florida, man alleges was false evidence. Who fatally shot Martin was never in dispute. The attorney who represented Martin's family, Ben Crump, went on to write a book titled "Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People," which was published by Harper Collins in October. The lawsuit claims all defendants "have worked in concert to deprive Zimmerman of his constitutional and other related legal rights." Zimmerman has been in criminal trouble multiple times since he fatally shot Martin in 2012.

George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin, is suing the teen's parents, family attorney, the attorney's book publisher and prosecutors who tried his case for defamation. According to the lawsuit, Brittany Diamond Eugene didn't want to testify that she had been talking to Martin before he was killed. [READ MORE: George Zimmerman tells court hes $2.5 million in debt, has no income][READ MORE: George Zimmerman gets 1 year probation after pleading no contest to stalking investigator working on Jay Z-produced documentary about Trayvon Martin]Martin was killed during a struggle with Zimmerman, who was a Neighborhood Watch volunteer. Zimmerman's trial raised questions about race and Florida's "stand your ground" self-defense law which allows people to use force without retreating if they feel threatened. In a statement on Wednesday, Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump called the allegations unfounded and reckless.This plaintiff continues to display a callous disregard for everyone but himself, re-victimizing individuals whose lives were shattered by his own misguided actions.

The manslaughter trial of a Florida man who claims self-defense under the state's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law began Wednesday in Pinellas County. Michael Drejka, 49, told authorities he was defending himself when he fatally shot a man who had pushed him to the ground in a handicapped parking spot dispute. Drejka approached Jacobs and the two argued over the car being parked in a handicapped spot without a visible permit, authorities said. McGlockton emerged from the store, saw Drejka arguing with his girlfriend, and shoved the man, who hit the ground, officials said. The statute was also claimed by George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the fatal shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012.

The Seminole County man previously acquitted of killing an unarmed teenager accepted a plea deal in an unrelated stalking case. That and the ongoing statewide election recount are the top local and trending stories for Tuesday, Nov. 13, as seen on ClickOrlando.com and News 6. However, Seminole County Judge Mark Herr admonished Zimmerman to understand that "words matter." The judge expressed hope that Zimmerman would avoid making future appearances at the Seminole County Courthouse. It also marks the second launch in under 12 hours from the East Coast from different NASA launch pads.

According to reports, George Zimmerman's gun that he used to kill Trayvon Martin has been sold for $250,000. According to Zimmerman's website, the gun's proceeds will be used to block Hillary Clinton's bid for president and to counter violence against law enforcement officers.

George Zimmerman is trying to sell the gun he killed unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin with. Zimmerman shot Martin in 2012, but was later acquitted on the basis of self-defense. Mark Strassmann has more.

George Zimmerman, the Florida man who claimed self defense in the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, made a move to auction off the gun used in the shooting. But the advertisement was later pulled from an auction site.

A Florida prosecutor upgraded charges against Matthew Apperson to attempted murder for allegedly shooting into George Zimmerman's vehicle in May. Apperson says he was acting in self defense. Sheli Muniz of Orlando affiliate WKMG reports.

Police in central Florida say George Zimmerman was involved in a shooting. Zimmerman was shot at but was not hit, though he did sustain injuries. Mike DeForest of WKMG reports.

A Florida man, Ken Cornell, says he spoke to the man who allegedly shot at George Zimmerman's car. CBSN's Parvati Shallow and Vladimir Duthiers talked to the witness.

Police say George Zimmerman was injured during a roadside confrontation in Florida. CBSN's Vladimir Duthiers and Parvati Shallow have the latest details.

Trayvon Martin Shooting Paula Reid, CBS News Justice Department Reporter, discusses the Department of Justice's announcement they found insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman for the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.

The number of people demonstrating outside of the Seminole County Courthouse on Saturday swelled to its largest number since the George Zimmerman trial started.

George Zimmerman’s wife was arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly lying at his bond hearing about the couple’s finances.