A judge in Florida has rejected George Zimmerman’s lawsuit against NBC in defamation lawsuit.
USA Today reported the suit came after Zimmerman, who gained national attention after shooting and killing Trayvon Martin, accused NBC of portraying him as a racist in many of the news reports that covered the case.
A statement by a spokesperson for NBC News said the station is “gratified by the court’s dismissal of this lawsuit, which we have always believed to be without merit.”
The Orlando Sentinel reported the decision by Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson was a summary judgement and that unless Zimmerman files a successful appeal, the case was now considered closed. The suit came two years ago when editors had made the 911 call Zimmerman made on the night of the shooting shorter, making it appeared that he had given information that Martin was black.
The network reportedly fired the employees in question who were part of the edits that had been made.
NBC’s attorney, Lee Levine, argued there was no proof that NBC had acted with “actual malice,” in which the employees at the time had inkling they were providing false information. The judge agreed with this argument, even putting in her report that the network also aired quotes by family members in which they defended Zimmerman, saying the reports of him being a racist were false.
The Associated Press reported Zimmerman’s defense was the 911 call was edited in a way that made it seem as though he had volunteered Martin’s race when the dispatcher had actually asked him the question.