Trayvon Martin's parents have settled the wrongful death claim made against the homeowners association of the subdivision where their son was killed. Last February, the 17-year-old was fatally shot by George Zimmerman at the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, FL. The paperwork was filed by family attorney Benjamin Crump at the Seminole County Courthouse, and a section of it was made public last week.
Five pages of the selection were available for viewing, and the specific amount of the settlement had been crossed out. In an interview, Crump was asked whether the figure exceeded $1 million, to which he replied "I have no comment on that subject … I know you did not get that from me."
Neither community association manager Kent Taylor nor his attorney, Thomas R. Slaten Jr., returned phone calls from the Orlando Sentinel regarding the settlement. Robert Taylor, the founding partner of a law firm with no relationship to the Retreat at Twin Lakes, said: "When claims are filed, they're filed against anybody who could possibly have any culpability."
Though the association did not admit to any liability or fault in the settlement, Taylor says the settlement was most likely a "business decision," or, specifically, a "risk-versus-reward analysis."
Crump says that he intends to file another suit against Zimmerman, who was not part of the settlement. Zimmerman, who was charged with second degree murder, will stand trial in June.
[via Orlando Sentinel]
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