Unsatisfied with getting away with murder, the bane of the universe, George Zimmerman, has filed a $100 million lawsuit against attorney Ben Crump and the family of Trayvon Martin.
According to a press release provided to The Root, the lawsuit alleges that Rachel Jeantel, the prosecution’s key witness during the 2013 trial, was both “an imposter and fake witness.” The suit also accuses Crump of defamation for remarks made in his recently published book, Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People.
As to how in the hell we even got here, look no further than the recently released film and book The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America. Helmed by director Joel Gilbert, the movie makes some pretty startling accusations.
Here are the details, per the website of Larry Klayman, who’s representing Zimmerman in this lawsuit:
Specifically, the complaint alleges that in March 2012, the Sanford Police Department thoroughly investigated the shooting of Trayvon Martin and closed the case as self-defense. A week later, Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump produced a recorded audio tape of “Diamond Eugene” whom he said was Trayvon’s 16-year-old girlfriend who was on the phone with Trayvon just before the altercation. However, two weeks later, 18-year-old Rachel Jeantel, the alleged imposter, appeared before prosecutors claiming to be “Diamond Eugene” and provided false statements to incriminate Zimmerman based on coaching from others.
These allegations are the result of newly discovered evidence just published in a book and film by Hollywood film director Joel Gilbert, called The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America. Based on Trayvon’s cell phone records, they allegedly show that Rachel Jeantel was not Trayvon’s girlfriend, was not on the phone with Trayvon before the altercation, and that she lied repeatedly to cause Zimmerman’s arrest and to try to send him to prison for life. The research also allegedly reveals that Trayvon’s real girlfriend and legitimate phone witness was in fact Miami resident Brittany Diamond Eugene, who was switched out for Jeantel when Eugene refused to bear false witness against Zimmerman.
The defendants include Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother and 2020 Miami-Dade Commission candidate; Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father; Benjamin Crump, attorney representing the Martin family; Florida prosecutors Bernie de la Rionda, John Guy, and Angela Corey; book publisher HarperCollins; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; and the state of Florida. Each is accused of either “knowing about or should have known about the witness fraud, obstructing justice, or lied repeatedly under oath in order to cover up their knowledge of the witness fraud.”
I did mention that prior to this lawsuit, Zimmerman actually got away with murder, right?
On Thursday, his legal team will be holding a press conference at Coral Gables Art Cinema in Coral Gables, Fla., followed by a screening of Gilbert’s film.
Crump did not respond to The Root’s request for comment.