Zimmerman to Appeal Florida Judge Dismissal of Defamation Claim Against NBC

George Zimmerman has filed a notice to appeal the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against NBC Universal and three reporters.

The appeal notice was filed with the Seminole County Clerk of Courts.

Judge Debra Nelson on June 30 dismissed Zimmerman’s lawsuit, saying the former neighborhood watch leader failed to show the network acted with malice.

Nelson said the malice standard was appropriate because Zimmerman became a public figure after he fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, in February 2012. It generated a national conversation about race and self-defense laws. He was acquitted of second-degree murder last year.

In his lawsuit, Zimmerman says NBC’s editing of a story on the shooting made it sound as if Zimmerman voluntarily told an operator that Martin was black.