The Zimmerman defamation case was dismissed by the court on Monday. A judge from Florida ruled that George Zimmerman failed to prove that the network acted with malice during a particular newscast about the July 2013 trial where he was charged for allegedly murdering a boy who was only 17 years old.
Judge Debra Nelson, according to a story from the Associated Press, upheld the malice standard in the cases that concerned Zimmerman. Apparently, the person who is in question only became a public figure after he gunned down Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida back in February of 2012. Based on the ruling of Nelson, Zimmerman "voluntarily injected his views into the public controversy surrounding race relations and public safety in Sanford and pursued a course of conduct that ultimately led to the death of Martin and the specific controversy surrounding it."
The Zimmerman defamation case was filed a couple of years ago, as he accused NBC, already a media giant at the time, of falsely depicting him as a racist. According to Zimmerman, NBC aired edited clips of a 911 call that he made on the night that the shooting happened. He strongly claimed that NBC practices what is called as "yellow journalism."
He was acquitted of 2nd-degree murder, as well as manslaughter in 2013.
Zimmerman adamantly defends himself, saying that the network made him look like a racist after purposely editing a story to make it seem that way. The edited video made it sound as if Zimmerman purposely told an operator that Martin was black. It was recorded on the 911 tape that Zimmerman was answering the operator's questions regarding Martin's race.
The 911 call, unedited, had Zimmerman saying, "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." The dispatcher then responded, "Ok. And this guy - is he black, white or Hispanic?" Zimmerman then answered, "He looks black."
However, NBC broadcast an edited version of the call. Based on the edit, Zimmerman said, "This guy looks like he's up to no good. He looks black."
The infamous Zimmerman defamation case can only be finished if the court ruling is reversed.
