By Jeff Weiner, The Orlando Sentinel –
ORLANDO, Fla. — A couple who say they were forced to leave their home after director Spike Lee re-tweeted their address to his Twitter followers has hired the Morgan & Morgan law firm to represent them.
“At this point, they have retained us to protect their interests” and their safety, attorney Matt Morgan said of Elaine and David McClain, an elderly Sanford-area couple in their 70s.
The couple’s address was tweeted by a man who believed he had uncovered the address of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman who shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last month.
The problem is, the address does not belong to Zimmerman, but to the McClains, who have a son named William George Zimmerman who lived there in 1995 and still lives in Central Florida.
He is no relation to George Zimmerman, 28, who killed Trayvon on Feb. 26, sparking national outrage and international interest. Zimmerman has claimed self defense and has not been arrested.
After Lee’s re-tweet, the couple’s other son says, the McClains have been forced to flee their home and live in a hotel given the rapidly spreading threats of violence against the real Zimmerman.
“At this point, they’ve had to move out of their home and their lives have been upended,” Morgan said.
Morgan declined Wednesday to discuss any possible future litigation on the couple’s behalf. Lee has more than 200,000 followers on Twitter.
“The first thing they’re hoping for is an apology and a retraction by Spike Lee,” Morgan said, adding that the couple hope their story can help “heal the divide between the white and black community.”
George Zimmerman is currently in hiding for fear of threats as the racially charged controversy grows. The New Black Panther Party recently announced a $10,000 bounty for his “capture.”
