The recent jury decision in the Zimmerman / Martin case came down a couple of days ago. Though, I am sure this whole case is far from over. I am not real familiar with the legal system but feel that there will be other cases stemming from this. First the civil case of wrongful death, much ;like the O.J. Simpson case. Even though found not guilty by a jury, a civil suit rendered a somewhat different conclusion. They found O.J. liable for the death and gave a cash value award to the family of Nicole. Of course they were not able to fully collect as he then manipulated money to avoid paying the penalty. Fortunately, "Karma" or fate or divine intervention came around and left O.J. sitting behind bars, finally.
With social media, I am seeing so many varied opinions on the results of the Zimmerman / Martin case. People jumping to conclusions one way or another. Mostly people that little more information than the general public and what the "mainstream" media has peace meal fed to the everyone. Depending on your news source, you either get a slanted story portraying one or the other as the "fine upstanding" person full of goodwill and charity. The other one is portrayed as evil, up to no good troublemaker. Each version applies the same characteristics to each of them as they wish to demonstrate how the opinion that particular news outlet wishes the public to perceive them.
I wasn't there, and the ones that were close to the scene are offering sketchy narratives. No definitive testimony or proof fully tells the whole story. Each of the characters in this story will have to one day stand before the final True Judge, God. Then they will receive their justice, which one? I have no idea. All I know is that I am tired of hearing about this case. Was it racism? Was it "Stand your ground"? Could it have just been two people in the wrong place at the wrong time in a wrong frame of mind being mixed in fate's blender? What if's will be the headlining stories over the next few days. I think it is just another case which we, the general public will never know the answer to. Speculation only adds flames to a heated debate and can put rifts between friendships if you allow it.
I know a little about the legal system :) You are right, there is a strong possibility that Martin's family could get a wrongful death judgment against Zimmerman. However, there are three important facets to any lawsuit: Liability--if we assume the facts are as you say they are, does the law give you the right to collect from me; Damages--if we assume you owe me money, how much? and Ability to Collect--it does no good to get a judgment against a pauper;if the judgment debtor does not have insurance or a lot of assets, collecting becomes difficult and/or expensive. For that reason, it is difficult to find a lawyer who will take a contingency case against someone who does not have the ability to pay a substantial judgment and few people are willing to pay a lawyer to obtain such a judgement.
ReplyDeleteAs far as innocence or guilt, I wrote about Trayvon Martin's case here: http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/2013/07/seven-quick-takes-on-treyvon-martin-case.html