A Florida judge tossed out a lawsuit filed by George Zimmerman against Trayvon Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. Trayvon was in Sanford, Florida, when Zimmerman fatally shot the teen in 2012, AP News reports. In 2019, Zimmerman sued Trayvon's parents, citing alleged abuse of civil processes and conspiracy, according to The Hill.
Zimmerman also said he was defamed through their assertions that he is a racist killer who racially profiled Trayvon. He added that they made efforts to "destroy his goodwill and reputation in the community," according to AP News.
Judge John Cooper dismissed the defamation and conspiracy lawsuit made by the neighborhood watch volunteer against Sybrina and Tracy because he did not prove "any fraudulent representation."
"There can be no claim for conspiracy to defraud if there is no adequately stated claim for fraud," Judge Cooper wrote in the court order that also named HarperCollins Publishers, which published a book Sybrina and Tracy wrote about the shooting.
Zimmerman was acquitted of murder in his 2013 trial. The verdict ignited the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as discussions around gun laws and race.
