George Zimmerman is attempting to take Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg to court.
In the lawsuit, Zimmerman alleges the two presidential candidates defamed him, USA Today reports. The suit claims Warren and Buttigieg individually defamed Zimmerman on Twitter on Feb. 5, on what would have been Trayvon Martin’s 25th birthday. The suit charges that they did it “for political gain in misguided and malicious attempts to bolster their standings amongst African-American voters, all at Zimmerman’s expense.”
In the filing, Zimmerman has asked for a damage award of $265 million.
Sen. Warren (D-Mass) has around 3.6 million Twitter followers, and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Buttigieg has about 1.6 million.
Martin was shot and killed by Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012. On that date, Zimmerman—who was a volunteer member of a neighborhood watch group—followed Martin, who had been visiting his family’s home in a gated community in Sanford, Florida. Martin saw Zimmerman and approached him, which led to a struggle between the two. Zimmerman then fatally shot Martin.
When Zimmerman was charged with murder, he declared it as self-defense according to Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” statute. He was acquitted in 2013.
