Watch CBS News

George Zimmerman Seeks $265 Million In Defamation Lawsuit Against Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Acquitted in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012, George Zimmerman is seeking $265 million in a defamation lawsuit against two Democratic presidential candidates.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Polk County, names US Senator Elizabeth Warren and Mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg as defendants.

Click here to read the lawsuit in its entirety

The suit claims both candidates defamed Zimmerman on Twitter.

It happened on February 5, on what would have been Martin's 25th birthday.

The suit alleges the candidates maligned Zimmerman "for political gain in misguided and malicious attempts to bolster their standings amongst African-American voters."

Here are the tweets in question:

Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder in July 2013.

Martin was a student at Michael Krop High School, in Miami-Dade County, when he was killed in Sanford, in February 2012. Zimmerman said he shot Martin in self-defense during a confrontation inside a gated community.

At the time, Martin's relatives accused Zimmerman of starting the fight and racially profiling Martin.

Zimmerman recently filed a $100-million defamation lawsuit against Martin's family, prosecutors, and a book publisher. He's seeking damages for what he calls the engineering of false testimony by prosecutors and the Martin family.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.