Last week, George Zimmerman was found not guilty on charges of manslaughter and second-degree murder in the case surrounding his fatal shooting of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin in February of last year. As people nationwide react to the unpopular verdict, Martin’s family deals with the fallout and contemplates filing a civil suit against Zimmerman.
What a civil suit could mean for Zimmerman and for the Martin family
In a criminal case, the prosecution must prove their case “beyond a reasonable doubt.” In a civil case, the burden of proof is considerably lighter; the prosecution must merely show that their case is “more likely than not.” For the Martin family, if they should file a civil suit, it means they are more likely to get a verdict in their favor.
A guilty verdict in a criminal case can mean jail time for the defendant, as it would have in Zimmerman’s case, but is not a potential outcome in a civil trial. Instead, a verdict against Zimmerman would most likely mean a financial penalty, plus the legal costs of the court battle. A verdict for Zimmerman would mean that the Martin family would be responsible for the legal fees associated with the case.
Other high-profile criminal cases have been followed by quieter civil proceedings. In 1995, OJ Simpson was famously acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend but lost the civil suit that was brought against him. He paid millions of dollars in damages. More recently, Casey Anthony was acquitted of the murder of her daughter Caylee, and currently faces two civil suits.
Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” laws complicate the matter
If he faces a civil trial, is another verdict in Zimmerman’s favor likely? It’s possible. Florida is a “Stand Your Ground” state. This controversial law, which appears in some form in more than 20 states, protects a citizen’s right to defend him or herself with force against attack. Zimmerman has always said that he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense, but he and his lawyers chose to forgo a pre-trial Stand Your Ground hearing. In such a hearing, a judge has the discretion to let the defendant go immediately. Zimmerman’s lawyers instead wanted the case to go in front of a jury.
Other lawsuits attached to the Zimmerman case
In addition to a possible civil suit from the Martin family, Zimmerman could also face prosecution at the federal level. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has been conducting an investigation and could bring criminal civil rights charges against Zimmerman. Not to be confused with a civil trial, the criminal civil rights trial would be a criminal trial at the federal level (Zimmerman was just acquitted in a state court), and could result in jail time for Zimmerman. A petition from the NAACP and MoveOn.org urging the DOJ to file charges has already garnered a million signatures.
Other legal matters surrounding the case: Zimmerman is the plaintiff in a defamation suit against NBC Universal Media. He’s suing over their editing of the 911 phone call made on that February night. And back in April of this year, the Martin family brought a suit against the homeowners association of the neighborhood where Trayvon was shot. The case was ultimately settled.
It’s not over for George Zimmerman
Even if new charges are not brought against Zimmerman, his quality of life will certainly be compromised. It’s reported that since the verdict, he’s been in hiding and wearing a bulletproof vest. Though Zimmerman has been acquitted of criminal charges in the state of Florida, he’s not out of the woods yet.
22 comments
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Kim
Great post.
Clouseau
THE PROBLEM WITH WITNESS JOHN GOOD'S TESTIMONY:
Besides being the SOLE witness to accommodate Zimmerman's story and place the person on the bottom in red, John came to court with a nice little drawing that also didn't match any other witness stories -- but it matched George's statements.
Here are my problems with witness John Good:
He spoke with Det. Serino at 9:12pm the night of the killing and stated that all he'd "found out" about the shooter was that he was ..."Hispanic".... SURELY THE NEIGHBORS WERE ABUZZ AFTER A MURDER A FEW FEET AWAY ON GOOD'S LAWN, SURELY THEY KNEW IT WAS A NEIGHBOR. John Good's next-door-neighbor, Jenna Lauer (who claimed she didn't know how to use her own twitter account which had her "following" Robert Zimmerman, Jr.), is a member of the community's Board and she testified that she knew George Zimmerman. Jenna had also been a Facebook "friend" of George's good friend, Frank Taaffe. She also told Det. Serino in her recorded statement, "I have pretty nosy neighbors." So it's not credible that she and John Good have a dead boy on their tiny patch of adjoining lawn along with POLICE and EMS activity, PORCHLIGHTS and FLASHLIGHTS and a NEIGHBOR talking to George -- and two hours later, all John Good is claiming (in a recorded police statement) to know about the shooter is that he's "Hispanic" ....? Not George, not the neighborhood watchman, not a neighbor, not the good friend of their friend Frank Taaffe's, not the man Jenna knows because she's a Board Member and he's the neighborhood watch, not a man with a Jewish last name -- no, with a neighborhood abuzz with a "so-called self-defense shooting", the first shooting in that neighborhood, it was just a portion of George's ethnicity -- an unknown "Hispanic" man 10 feet away from their faces. Credible? Nope.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, George Zimmerman's father (who is white and Jewish) had hand-delivered a request for the publication to refer to his son George as a "Spanish-speaking minority". Apparently, I'm guessing, John Good had already received his talking points from Team Zimmerman soon after the shooting and he came to court with a little sketch to match Zimmerman's self-serving story about the events of that night.
Witness #18 was watching before/during/after the shot and she does did not testify to seeing the 2 figures moving about to different areas of the tiny lawn.
Clouseau
The post at 1:51pm (3/18/14) has an error. Mention of Witness #18 in this post was in err -- it should read #8 (Rachel Jeantel) in this passage.
Clouseau
MINOR INJURY EXPLANATIONS:
The explanation for Zimmerman's bleeding nose was in plain sight (if you looked closely) and it started AFTER he fired his gun (hence Zimmerman's question "Am I bleeding?" when neighbor J. Manalo arrived):
. The effects of his own gunshot are branded on the tip of Zimmerman's nose (and perhaps behind mustache hairs) in the form of gunshot stippling (pinhole-size wounds created by gunshot residue blast). Minor bleeding from these 4-5 tiny holes flowed in a narrow path down to his lip (as seen in the color-enhanced photo taken on-site). Wasn't Defense-paid Di Maio a "gunshot expert"? Seems he completely missed the gunshot stippling on the killer's NOSE. No wonder there's a petition to revoke his license.
. Swelling: George's nose "looks" swollen in the on-site photo, but we all know what happens to the size of the nose when a photographer gets in too close (and when photos turn up weeks later). To better judge, see the police station photos taken that night -- there's marginal swelling (maybe). A police officer noted that Zimmerman's nose didn't look broken. Zimmerman refused to have an x-ray taken or to visit an ENT.
So how are the existence of the nick on the bridge of Zimmerman's nose and his own blood on his gun's grip explained:
. Gun recoil (common issue with these handguns -- especially if shot without using the v-formation extended arms with double-hand grip to absorb the recoil). This explains the stippling on his nose-tip as well (the gun has to very close to an object to leave a small amount of intense stippling residue, further away would mean more scattered and microscopic stippling, even further would mean no stippling -- think "dispersing"). Single-handed grip using non-dominant RIGHT hand meant recoil into RIGHT side of GZ's nose. DNA evidence shows GZ's blood found on the grip of his gun.
See close-up photos of Zimmerman's nose and stippling on tip: (google: "CNN Zimmerman sues NBC Universal over edited 911 call" and see Photo #4 for stippling and minor bridge nick)
BACK OF HEAD:
. considering the absence of swelling under the minor abrasions, something poked or scratched Zimmerman's head (not a single suture was required). Since he was seen standing next to the small maple tree located DIRECTLY on the plot of grass, it's entirely possible his head met with the leafless branches at some point. The mass of capillaries located at the skin's surface of the head explains the amount of bleeding (which apparently didn't bleed enough to appear on his back collar). Keep in mind that all of George's blood trails show that he was upright and looking down as he bled.
OTHER INJURIES: None.
Clouseau
Let's follow the witnesses and evidence (sequential order of witnesses would have added clarity to the timeline of events):
The "unidentified creep" followed the teen all the way home that night, but Martin had no key. There were 3 witnesses that placed the unidentified creep down at the southern end (where Trayvon's home was) -- Witnesses #1, #2, #18.
Earwitness #18 was told by Martin that he was near home (where the creep tried to somehow apprehend Martin and Martin was heard saying "get off, get off" by Witness #18, and next Witnesses #1 & #2 heard/saw "2 figures run by" -- one chasing the other (about 10 feet apart) northward toward the "T" (the creep later completely left all of this out and instead starts his story at the "T", so we can guess who was chasing who).
According to the documented EMS evidence, no one was given a bloody nose from a punch and the spotless clothing and hands document this as well. (the bleeding nose comes later ... it's exterior bleeding only ... and it's from the gunshot stippling to the tip of the creep's nose and gun recoil to the nose bridge)
So far, the unidentified creep is not hurt ... but he's gone from following and attempting to apprehend to chasing and generally scaring an innocent kid who had every right to be walking in the neighborhood. The two end up on the grass near the "T".
Please, do tell me AT WHAT POINT Martin can begin to defend himself ...
Because at this point, I believe anything the creep does is with intent and is NOT INNOCENT.
Clouseau
Regarding the on-scene bloody nose photo of George Zimmerman in the police car (the one where the camera is so close it magnifies the size of his nose) …
Why didn’t the Prosecution explain the gravitational phenomena that GZ purported to (of being punched and being on his back) ?:
Q: What position would a person have to be in to have blood flow from the nostrils to the tip of the nose?
A: Full vertical upside down (i.e.: dangling from their toes)
The EMS Report (Mucous Membrane NORMAL) and page 3 of the Physician Asst’s Report document that there was no blood in Zimmerman’s nostrils. The minor bleeding was exterior and from stippling — concentrated residue blast imbedded in the tip of his nose. To have the residue cause bleeding the gun had to be EXTREMELY close — recoil close. Zimmerman shot with his non-dominant RIGHT hand and the gun recoil hit the RIGHT side of his nose bridge. DNA evidence shows that Zimmerman’s blood was found on the grip of his gun.
So, there goes half the “brutal assault” out the window and Zimmerman’s self-serving story about a broken nose while refusing to have an x-ray taken or an ENT check. As for the head injuries that didn’t require a single suture, the Physician Asst’s testimony:
O’MARA: If you saw those wounds, would you clean them off and put bandages over them?
FOLGATE: I would likely have them cleaned and if the patient desired, I would put a bandage over them. It doesn’t necessarily have to be bandaged, but there would be no problem with doing that to keep certain debris out of the area.
Brutal assault?
Clouseau
Regarding recoil: DNA evidence shows GZ's blood was found on his gun grip.
Clousteau
The on-scene bloody-nose photo of George Zimmerman in the police car -- you know, the one with blood on the tip of his nose ...
Why was the gravitational phenomena of that photo not explained in court?
Q: What position would George have to be in for blood from his nostrils to stream to his nose tip?
A: Full vertical upside down (i.e.: dangling by his toes).
Zimmerman didn't have a bloody interior nose. Both the EMS Report (Mucous Membrane NORMAL) and page 3 of the Physician Asst. Report document that there was no blood in George Zimmerman's nostrils. The minor injuries were exterior and caused by the gunshot (see stippling at tip of nose) and the fact that the stippling was so intense and concentrated means the gun was VERY close when fired. How close? A non-dominant RIGHT handed shot recoiled into the RIGHT side of his nose bridge. Only exterior nose injuries. Explains why he wouldn't go for an x-ray or see an ENT.
smc618
Hey DIPSHIT....the praying hands say RIP NANA... how many "gang members" do you know named NANA ? There are PHOTOS of it and the tat of his MOTHER'S name ... try using GOOGLE.
It still cracks me up that you morons keep up w/this CHARADE that TM was trying to "kill" Zimmerman. There is ZERO proof of that. In fact there is ZERO proof that TM 'started' anything. Only a MURDERER'S word. His "injuries" were so INSIGNIFICANT it was preposterous and pathetic to even allege any such scenario. Dumbass Zimmerman could have simply fallen back after TM fell on him after GZ MURDERED him, causing the little tiny boo boos and a bruised nose from TM'S limp lifeless body falling foward and bashing GZ in the head on the way down.
Brainwashed sheeple. GZ was a MISOGYNIST, RACIST, PARANOID, DRUGGED UP ( on Adderall and other anti-psychotic meds ) THUG.
jimpeel
I guess that the eyewitnesses who saw Martin sitting on Zimmerman made that up, right? The dead man fell onto Zimmerman in a sitting position and proceeded to pummel him.
No one here has said that Martin was TRYING to kill Zimmerman. You made that up in your over fertile imagination. What has been said is that Zimmermen FELT that his life was in danger and he protected his life by firing a shot into Martin.
His friend Jeantel stated under oath that she felt Trayvon threw the first punch. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/17/rachel-jeantel-trayvon-martin-threw-first-punch/
That would be hard to do for a dead man who has already been murdered.
Go believe your fantasies. Bambi was a real deer; Forrest Gump really shook hands with Kennedy; The Easter Bunny and Santa Clause are real; aliens abduct people -- maybe even you.
Cynewulf
This article leaves out a couple of things. Namely, the civil immunity trial derives from a statute that is separate from the Stand Your Ground statute. Zimmerman can seek to have the civil immunity trial at any time, and will likely get it if he does so.
As for the civil rights trial, the FBI has already investigated Zimmerman, finding nothing to warrant a civil rights trial. In his speech the other day, President Obama, for all intents and purposes, hinted that such a trial would not be a likely event. Finally, in the past, such a trial has been reserved for agents of the state. Zimmerman, of course, is not an agent of the state.
So, while either of these trials is possible, neither is likely.
smc618
I'm not worried. He'll get what's coming to him. Karma has a funny way of working like that. A bulletproof vest won't protect him. His life ( if someone doesn't take it ) will be a living hell and deservedly so.
NOT GUILTY =/= INNOCENT It just means there wasn't ENOUGH proof to convict.
Cynewulf
So, there wasn't enough proof to convict (amazing how many people that won't admit that), but you are sure he was guilty. Because?
john Mack
Like all issues of this nature and magnitude, some other tragedy will capture the media's attention and Martin will drift into oblivion like all the rest...
Joe Mahma
"It’s not over for George Zimmerman"
Oooooohhhhh...
felix1999
"As people nationwide react to the unpopular verdict, ..."
Excuse me? "Unpopular decision"? LOL! Aren't YOU being a tad obvious about YOUR disappointment in the ZImmerman acquital? Those against the verdict are LESS than 50% in any legitimate poll. Even BLACKS are siding with the jury. Those opposed to it are you garden variety racists - Obama, Holder, NAACP, Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton and of course the Martin family. Their kid Trayvon was just another thug. That's the ugly truth. He made THEIR papers due to ROBBERIES in ZImmerman's gated community. Trayvon had a better gun than Zimmerman! Trayvon routinely did drugs. He had gang tatooes. He had been suspended from school, high school, on numerous occasions. He loved to FIGHT kids. The jury did NOT know this and still acquitted him. Even despite the prosecution WITHHOLDING EVIDENCE, he was still convicted.
I state the above for those that believe "self defense is senseless" as Eric Holder recently stated. If that's the case WHY does he and Obama and the other ELITES have Secret Service following them all over the place with LOADED GUNS? I have never heard of anything more idiotic! If anything BLACKS who are notorious for CRIME, should appreciate that. It is not a coincidence that BLACKS, black males dominate prisons. Trayvon was destined for prison. His mother can quote all the Bible verses she wants to LOOK GOOD, but SHE and her exhusband FAILED their son. Instead of being honest about that, she BLAMES anyone else - Zimmerman - and tries to LIE and paint her son as an angel - he wasn't.
It't time to move on and leave George Zimmerman alone to SUE LIBERAL MEDIA people that LIE and twist TRUTH TO SELL PAPERS or get RATINGS - just like YOU are trying to do NOW!
Blinda Person
Are you serious? Eeverything you stated is false. A tattoo of praying hands saying rest in peace and his mother name is the other are gang tattoos Really? And President Clinton admitted to smoking weed is he a Thug too? And where did you hear he loved to fight kids? You are making up lies. This young man was a Honor roll student and he was being contacted by colleges. Getting suspended from school, he sounds like alot of teenagers black and white I know. Why don't you mention facts like Zimmermans past or would that hurt your cause. You sound extrememly ignorant in your rant. Zimmerman will pay for this deed whether in court or in death and thats Gods will. You really need to get a grip.
dblply2k
If you had seen the actual photo of his most recent age... you would know what Felix is talking about. The media only shows his 12 year old photo. Also... just curious.. but it was proven in court that Trayvon started the confrontation by hitting Zimmerman first and was on top of him beating the heck out of him. I'm pretty sure MOST people are going to feel a danger to their lives if they are getting the crap knocked out of them, hence the self-defence. Do I like Zimmerman... "Hell no". He was an idiot and should have stayed in his car, but he made a mistake and so did Trayvon... he should have just kept walking or even ran, but he didn't and someone died. Sad.... but it is true. It's time to move on....
smc618
That's what happens when LOW INFO GOTPers get all of their propaganda from Faux Spews.