People are starting to change their minds about the Trayvon Martin shooting. I have seen some news media people making comments now about waiting for the investigation to be done.
I do not think that Zimmerman is going to be arrested. Unless he lies to the FBI about what he did and what took place. I think the “Stand Your Ground” law is going to protect him.
Now only that the law also protects people from being taken to civil court. That is going to piss off a lot of people.
There is going to be some calls for the “Stand Your Ground” law to be changed or done away with but it is not going to happen. The Republicans and the NRA will prevent any changes to the law.
I think what could happen is that Zimmerman could end up taking to civil court the news media and others for the things they said about him. I think he could win! If he does that I think he should spell out that half of what he gets will go into the Trayvon Martin foundation. That foundation should be not controlled by him but by some independent people.
Remember security guard Richard Jewell? He was working security at the Centennial Olympic Park. He discovered a bag and alerted law enforcement and he and other security officers moved people out of the area. Then the bomb exploded.
“Richard A. Jewell (December 17, 1962 – August 29, 2007) was an American police officer who, while working as a security guard for Piedmont College,[1] became known in connection with the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Discovering a pipe bomb on the park grounds, Jewell alerted police and helped to evacuate the area before the bomb exploded, saving many people from injury or potential death. Initially hailed by the media as a hero, Jewell later was considered a suspect.
Despite having never been charged, he underwent what was considered by many to be a "trial by media" with great toll on his personal and professional life. Eventually he was exonerated completely: Eric Robert Rudolph was later found to have been the bomber.[2][3] In 2006, Governor Sonny Perdue publicly thanked Jewell on behalf of the state of Georgia for saving the lives of those at the Olympics.[4]…”
“Libel cases
After his exoneration, Jewell filed a series of lawsuits against the media outlets which he claimed had libeled him, primarily NBC News and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and insisted on a formal apology from them. L. Lin Wood was the lead attorney in all of Jewell's Libel cases.[1][5][9][10]
In 2006, Jewell said the lawsuits were not about money, and that the vast majority of the settlements went to lawyers or taxes. He said the lawsuits were about clearing his name.[5]
[edit]Richard Jewell v. Piedmont College
"Also named in the suit is Piedmont College, Jewell's former employer, located in Demorest, Georgia, Piedmont College President Raymond Cleere, and college spokesman Scott Rawles.[9]
Jewell's attorneys contend Cleere called the FBI and spoke to the Atlanta newspapers, providing them with false information on Jewell and his employment there as a security guard."
Jewell's lawsuit accused Cleere of describing Jewell as a "badge-wearing zealot" who "would write epic police reports for minor infractions."[1]
Piedmont College settled for an undisclosed amount.[11]
[edit]Richard Jewell v. NBC
Jewell sued NBC News for this statement, made by Tom Brokaw, "The speculation is that the FBI is close to making the case. They probably have enough to arrest him right now, probably enough to prosecute him, but you always want to have enough to convict him as well. There are still some holes in this case". Even though NBC stood by its story, the network agreed to pay Jewell $500,000.[9]
[edit]Richard Jewell v. New York Post
Although Jewell was considered a hero at first, four days later The Atlanta Journal published stories stating that the FBI was considering Jewell as a lead suspect who fits the profile of a “lone bomber”. Articles then appeared in numerous media outlets, including The New York Post. One New York Post article read, “He was a fat, failed former sheriff's deputy who spent most of his working days as a crossing guard, and yearned to go further”[citation needed].
Another article stated, “That the main suspect in a major act of terrorism is a home-grown failure is both a relief -- and a major embarrassment -- to this city's real law-enforcement people." Further legitimizing The New York Post’s intent to harm Jewell’s career and reputation, aggressive statements were used, “Everybody here should be glad they finally got this guy. It's good they made progress like this while the Games are still going on. I think it makes people feel safer and better”. Photographs and cartoons also followed up the articles with captions portraying Jewell as the bomber. The published accusations ridiculed Jewell and deprived him of his dignity and his job as a security guard[citation needed].
However, once Eric Rudolph was convicted of the crime and Jewell was no longer a suspect, Jewell proceeded to sue The New York Post and other media sources on the grounds of libel. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York states, “The complainant pleads libel concerning two different aspects of The New York Post’s reporting. First, libel in connection with Jewell's alleged responsibility for the bombing of Centennial Olympic Park. Second, libel with respect to Jewell's prior work history and job performance. Jewell claims that the New York Post libeled him in one column, three articles, two photographs and one cartoon[citation needed].
In contrast to Jewell’s accusations, the defendants argued that the comments made about Jewell were non-actionable expressions of opinion and were based on police statements and reports made by The Atlanta Journal. The defendant states, “After watching CNN, reading The Atlanta Journal articles and reviewing the AP wire service reports, I spoke to other sources. Then, I wrote the July 31 column."[citation needed]
After evaluating both sides of the case, The New York Post was only charged with a few of the plaintiff’s complaints. The court stated on behalf of The New York Post, “They utilize hyperbolic language, lack a precise meaning and are incapable of being proven true or false. Words such as "Rambo," "failure," "home-grown failure," "disgraced," or "disaster" are indicative of terms which the average reader would understand to be statements of opinion.” In addition, the court concluded the photographs and cartoon were non-actionable because a sensible reader would understand the pictures were not based on fact[citation needed].
Despite the selective dismissals, the court was able to side with Jewell as well. The court found that, under New York law, a statement is libelous per se, “if it tends to expose the plaintiff to public contempt, ridicule, aversion, or disgrace, or induce an evil opinion of him in the minds of right-thinking persons, and to deprive him of their friendly intercourse in society”. Furthermore, the court agreed that, even if the statements made were opinion, they led readers to believe they were true because they were published in the news section rather than the editorial page[citation needed].
Charges were also issued based on the libelous comments made toward Jewell’s work performance. The court agreed that the comments made about his career were harmful and not true. After both sides were evaluated, the court concluded that the newspaper’s motion to dismiss was granted in part and denied in part. Jewell was able to collect undisclosed monetary settlements from the New York Post and was able to pay his legal fees and buy a new house for his mother[citation needed].
[edit]Richard Jewell v. Cox Enterprises (d.b.a. Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Jewell sued the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, which stated Jewell was "an individual with a bizarre employment history and aberrant personality". It also said Jewell "fit the profile of a lone bomber." According to Jewell, the paper's headline, which read FBI suspects 'hero' guard may have planted bomb, "pretty much started the whirlwind".[10]
The Atlanta Journal went as far as to compare Richard Jewell's case to that of serial killer Wayne Williams.[12]
The newspaper was the only defendant that did not settle with Jewell. The lawsuit remained pending for several years, after having been considered at one time by the Supreme Court of Georgia, and had become an important part of case law regarding whether journalists could be forced to reveal their sources. The case was dismissed by Judge John R. Mather in December 2007, four months after Jewell's death.[13]
[edit]CNN
Although CNN settled with Jewell for an undisclosed monetary amount, CNN maintained its coverage was fair and accurate.[14]…”
I think that Zimmerman may have many lawsuits and I think he can win. But I think it would be very important to make sure that he is not seen to profit from the death of Trayvon Martin.
We will see what happens. But first we need for the legal investigation to be complete.
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