Trayvon Martin: Spike Lee settles with David and Elaine McClain, lawyer says
Spike Lee looks on as the Syracuse Orange play the Cincinnati Bearcats during the semifinals of the Big East men’s basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 9.
NEW YORK, NY – After helping send an elderly Florida couple fleeing to safety, director Spike Lee has personally apologized and offered to compensate them for the disruption to their lives, according to The Los Angeles Times.
David and Elaine McClain went into hiding this week after their home address was incorrectly identified on Twitter as that of Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman.
Lee helped amplify the hostility against the McClains by retweeting the bogus address to his quarter of a million followers on Twitter.
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“The McClains’ claim is fully resolved,” Matt Morgan, their attorney, was quoted as telling The Times in an e-mail. “Mr. Lee personally called them to give a very heartfelt apology. Further, he agreed to compensate them for their loss and the disruption to their lives.
“The McClains were very moved by Mr. Lee's apology,” Morgan reportedly said. “They would like the Lee family to be left in peace.”
Lawyer Stephanie Rabiner of the website FindLaw had speculated earlier today that Spike Lee’s actions were likely to lead to a lawsuit.
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“The director doesn't seem to have checked the tweet for accuracy and instead chose to recklessly retweet the content to 250,000 people. He likely knew people would do illegal things with that address,” wrote Rabiner in a brief analysis carried by Reuters.
View all of our Trayvon Martin coverage.
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