Why Is George Zimmerman Suing Trayvon Martin's Family For $100 Million?

The controversial case of watchman George Zimmerman shooting down teenager Trayvon Martin in a racially surcharged incident has taken a new twist.

Acquitted Zimmerman has now slapped a lawsuit against the dead teenager’s family and others including the lawyer seeking $100 million in damages.

The acquittal of Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watchman had triggered nationwide protests. However, the Justice Department did not frame him in any civil rights case.

Zimmerman's new lawsuit filed by his lawyer, Larry Klayman, argued that the case against the watchman was fabricated and involved abuse of civil process and conspiracy, NBC News reported. The lawsuit also alleged the lawyer tried to defame Zimmerman in one of his books.

The lawsuit’s core contention is that the prosecution’s key witness against Zimmerman, Rachel Jeantel, was an “imposter and fake witness.”

The lawsuit targets civil rights attorney Ben Crump for having “swapped out a reluctant witness,” Brittany Diamond Eugene, for her half-sister, Rachel Jeantel in a bid to throw Zimmerman into prison.

The complaint of Zimmerman says Jeantel delivered a bogus testimony during Zimmerman's trial claiming as the dead person's lover. This is despite Jeantel being older, 120 pounds heavier and 5 inches taller than Eugene, the lawsuit alleged.

Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin denied the allegation.

Both Zimmerman and lawyer Klayman will address a news conference on Thursday, per CNN.

Shooting incident

Martin, then 17 years old, was a Miami resident and was killed on Feb. 26, 2012, while walking to his father’s girlfriend’s home in Sanford, a city near Orlando.

Zimmerman, who patrolled the area, encountered the unarmed black teenager while returning from a departmental store. Zimmerman fatally shot Martin.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Zimmerman racially profiled Martin and tailed the teenager despite a police dispatcher telling not to do that.

But Zimmerman’s lawyers said he shot the teenager in self-defense after Martin beat him up.

Martin’s lawyer calls it shameless

In a statement, Benjamin Crump dismissed the lawsuit and hit out at Zimmerman and his lawyer for making “another failed attempt to defend the indefensible and a shameless attempt to profit off the lives and grief of others.”

“This plaintiff continues to display a callous disregard for everyone but himself, revictimizing individuals whose lives were shattered by his misguided actions,” the statement said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement or the State of Florida listed as defendants in the lawsuit did not comment.

Impersonation alleged

In the lawsuit, Klayman alleged that Sanford Police initially took the position that the fatal shooting was in self-defense. But that stand was reversed later under manipulation.

It said attorney Benjamin Crump produced a recorded audiotape of ‘Diamond Eugene’ whom he said was Trayvon’s 16-year-old girlfriend and was on the phone with Trayvon just before the incident.

Two weeks later, 18-year-old Rachel Jeantel, appeared before prosecutors claiming to be ‘Diamond Eugene’ and rendered false statements to incriminate Zimmerman as tutored by others, the lawsuit alleged.

Klayman claimed there is “newly discovered evidence” to establish that Jeantel was not Martin's girlfriend and she never spoke on the phone with him.