George Zimmerman lawyer can now resume lawsuit against NBC over edited 911 call
The not-guilty verdict for George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin may have another fallout: Zimmerman’s lawsuit against NBC who edited the 911 call making him appear racist.
NBC responded to the December lawsuit by noting several media outlets used the race angle in reporting on the case and his conviction “will constitute substantial evidence.”
The company also noted the pivotal nature of the second-degree murder case: “[I]f Zimmerman is convicted, that fact alone will constitute substantial evidence that the destruction of his reputation is the result of his own criminal conduct, and not of the broadcasts at issue which, like countless other news reports disseminated by media entities throughout the country, reported on the underlying events.”
According to Zimmerman attorney James Beasley, the case against NBC News was stayed pending the outcome of the criminal case. Now that’s out of the way, and Beasley is ready to proceed. “We’re going to start in earnest asap, we just have to get the stay lifted which is a ministerial act,” says Beasley, a Philadelphia lawyer, via e-mail as reported by the Washington Post.
NBC News, in a March 27, 2012, broadcast of the “Today” show, abridged the tape of Zimmerman’s comments to a police dispatcher on the evening of Feb. 26, 2012:
Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.
The full tape went like this:
Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about. Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?
Zimmerman: He looks black.
NBC owes Zimmerman enough money to go live in luxury on a tropical island far away from here for the rest of his and his children’s childrens lives. Shame on NBC and Shame on Angela Corey. She needs to held accountable as well.