Well, he sure as hell is a public figure now and keeps his name out there with his tweets.

Question is this: At what point did he become a public figure? Was he not one on a Friday but become one over the ensuing weekend?

H/T Nettles.....

NBC to argue for dismissal of George Zimmerman lawsuit
Published 8:50 PM EDT Jun 09, 2014

ORLANDO, Fla. —The judge in George Zimmerman's defamation lawsuit against NBC Universal is set to hear arguments on a request by the media company to dismiss the case.

A hearing has been set for June 19. The case had been postponed pending the conclusion of the Trayvon Martin shooting case. Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder last July.

The former neighborhood watch volunteer filed suit against NBC in 2012, claiming he was defamed when the network edited his 911 call to police after Martin's shooting to make it sound like he was racist.

...more at link
http://www.wesh.com/trayvon-martin-exte ... esh#!WQ2Kl

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

This is watershed moment in that lawsuit. If this motion is denied (as most motions for summary judgment are) I predict a HUGE settlement for George. And rightfully so!

eta: to be clear, I mean pretty shortly...not after years and years of motion practice.

I hope you are right karmady.

The offence was clear to hear to us all in the edited tape. It would seem impossible that the suit would be dismissed?

I don't know if George will pursue other suits... but there are a LOT he could.... ranging from News corporations.. right down to the daft individuals who posted libellous comments at True Gossip Forums, Blogs etc.... and in the Twitter Sewer. It might be a stretch to go after individual Forum posts (shame dat)... but I can think of a few Forum Owners who might well be held to account for what they published on their True Gossip Forums and Blog sites.... here's hoping

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Looking at the docket, I note that new local counsel has been substituted for O'Mara....good!

George deserves a pay day.

H/T Nettles....

Will there be live TV coverage of the hearing?

Not on NBC!

Judge throws out part of Zimmerman libel case against NBC
By Rene Stutzman and Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel
3:20 p.m. EDT, June 19, 2014

SANFORD – A judge on Thursday threw out part of George Zimmerman's libel suit against NBC Universal and held out the prospect that she may throw out the whole thing.
Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson tossed the allegations related to one of five broadcasts and said she needs to do more homework before deciding about the others.
Zimmerman is suing the media company, alleging that it falsely portrayed him as a racist.
[....]
The judge on Thursday threw out the claim that NBC and employee Jeff Burnside defamed Zimmerman in a March 19, 2012, broadcast. Zimmerman can't claim he was wronged by that report, the judge said, because his letter to the network, one required before a defamation suit is filed, never identified that specific broadcast, and his letter did not include Burnside as an offending party.

The other broadcasts included two on March 20 and one each on March 22 and March 27.

The judge said she would decide later what to do about them.

The hearing started shortly after 10 a.m. and concluded shortly before 11 a.m.

Zimmerman did not attend.

...more at link
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... 1694.story

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

It's not looking good for George.

If this is NOT clear defamation of a private citizen by a News behemoth.. then nothing is.

It is a bit rich to claim that GZ was a "public figure" and so excuse the behavior.. when it was early reports like this that MADE GZ so well known.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Unfortunately in the eyes of the libel statute, Zimmerman is not a private citizen.

Civil lawsuits are tossed out every day because the paperwork wasn't filled out properly.

The odds were against Zimmerman prevailing in the libel action when it was filed, and remain so today.

The Zimmerman lawyers are in a quandry. There may have been NBC action that was libelous, which could be brought out in discovery. But you can't get to discovery without the court allowing the filed action to go forward.

re the Orlando Sentinel report on yesterday's hearing in Zimmerman v. NBC

The reporters neglected to report that the dismissal of one part of the lawsuit was done "without prejudice".

This means that Beasley et al can again attempt to have that portion of the lawsuit reinstated.

Yeah, no need to report that part. Just a detail :::looking for the eyerollie emoticon:::

Zimmerman to judge: Don't kill my libel suit against NBC
Zimmerman's lawyer: We need to get records about Al Sharpton and Angela Corey
By Rene Stutzman, Staff Writer
12:30 p.m. EDT, June 26, 2014

SANFORD – In his attempt to win a libel suit against NBC Universal Media, George Zimmerman's civil attorney wants records about the Rev. Al Sharpton, according to new court pleadings. Same for Angela Corey.

Zimmerman is the former Neighborhood Watch volunteer who killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, in Sanford in 2012.

Several months later, he sued NBC Universal, claiming they defamed him by portraying him as racist.

Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson on June 19 held a hearing to determine whether she should throw out the suit. Her ruling could come any day.

Zimmerman's civil attorney, James Beasley Jr., urged her to reject that request, saying he'd had no time to collect evidence or take sworn statements from key players.

...more at link
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... 2133.story

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Sorry, NBC: You Owe George Zimmerman Millions

Whatever you think of Zimmerman, the Peacock Network willfully defamed him.

By A. J. Delgado
June 27, 2014 8:04 AM

NBC should be held liable for the editing of George Zimmerman’s 911 call in ways that made Zimmerman appear to be a racist.

In a grotesque and apparently malicious act of misreporting, NBC, in multiple broadcasts, aired doctored, heavily edited versions of the 911 call, misleadingly moving around Zimmerman’s words like a Rubik’s Cube. The result gave a false impression of the tragic incident in which Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, and it exposed Zimmerman to the hatred, scorn and contempt of millions of viewers.

...more at link
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/3 ... -j-delgado

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

She already denied it according to the docket at the link. I guess she just can't get enough spankings from the Court of Appeals.



edit rumpole
Deleted tweet.
Embedded tweets inside quotes don't work

Nelson becomes more and more unbelievable?

Whatever happened to "Conflict of interest" As the Judge in the Criminal trial she was INVOLVED in the shenanigans that are relevant to the Civil Suit?

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Judge rules in favor of NBC in George Zimmerman's defamation lawsuit
Last Updated: Monday, June 30, 2014, 9:47 AM

http://mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews ... n_law.html

This is actually an OLD report from earlier hearing. Seems MSM has caught up with Docket entries, but there are no details or information about latest rulings. Maybe there will be further updates?

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light