Trayvon Martin's Parents Settle Wrongful Death Suit

(AP) SANFORD, Fla.
The parents of a teenager who was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer last year have settled a wrongful-death claim against the homeowners association of the Florida subdivision where their son was killed.

The Orlando Sentinel ( http://thesent.nl/YYnBB7) reported Friday that an attorney for Trayvon Martin’s parents _ Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin _ filed that paperwork in Seminole County and that portions of it were made available for public review Friday.

According to the newspaper, the settlement amount was marked out in five pages that it reviewed. Lower in the agreement, the parties specify that they will keep the amount confidential.

Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Trayvon Martin’s parents, declined to comment Friday. He told The Associated Press that the filing was confidential.

A telephone message left Friday evening by AP with the homeowner association’s attorney, Thomas R. Slaten Jr., wasn’t immediately returned.

Martin was fatally shot in February, 2012 by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman during a confrontation in a subdivision in Sanford, about 30 miles north of Orlando.

A month-and-a-half delay in Zimmerman’s arrest led to nationwide protests in the racially charged case.

Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in Martin’s death. Zimmerman claims he was attacked and acted in self-defense, but Martin’s family claims he targeted the unarmed 17-year-old mainly because Martin was black. Zimmerman’s parents are white and Hispanic.

Under the terms of the settlement, Trayvon Martin’s parents and his estate agreed to set aside their wrongful-death claim and claims for pain and suffering, loss of earnings and expenses, the Sentinel reported.

According to a cover page attached to the settlement that was placed in Zimmerman’s criminal case file, copies of the settlement were given Thursday to Zimmerman’s attorney, as well as to the prosecutor and the judge, the newspaper reported.

Crump has previously said he intends to file suit later against Zimmerman, and the settlement specified that Zimmerman was not part of the homeowner association’s deal.