The parents of Trayvon Martin have settled a wrongful death lawsuit, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton are expected to receive a $1 million payout in the agreement.
According to legal documents made public Friday (April 5), Martin family lawyer, Benjamin Crump, filed the paperwork. In the five pages released, settlement figures were blacked out. The names of the parties dispersing the money to the Martin family were also retracted.
As stated in the settlement agreement, neither Crump nor Martin's parents will speak on the dollar amount. "I have no comment on that subject," he said. "I know you did not get that from me."
Martin, 17, was gunned down by George Zimmerman last February. The high school student was walking back to the home of his father's girlfriend leading up to the run-in that cut his life short. Zimmerman noted Martin as looking suspicious, and not belonging in the neighborhood. The two exchanged words, but why the former neighborhood watch captain shot the youngster is up for interpretation.
Zimmerman asserts that he fired out of self-defense after Martin allegedly broke his broke his nose, but faces second-degree murder for the act.
Since his death, Martin's parents have remained in the public eye keeping their son's memory alive and seeking legal retribution for the tragedy. Last August Fulton was named in an insurance claim filed against the Retreat at Twin Lakes homeowners association, which is where the shooting took place. Traveler Casualty and Surety, the company insuring the association, responded by filing a counter suit against Fulton asking for clarification of liability. The counter suit was dropped a few months later.
Zimmerman's lawyer, Mike O'Mara, revealed that Martin's parents were offered $1 million to settle but refused the amount.
Crump also intends to file a suit against Zimmerman whose murder trial begins in June.
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