Parents Of Travon Martin Reach Settlement With Homeowner's Association Where Killer, George Zimmerman, Patrolled.

Settlement Is Reached With Family in Slaying

MIAMI — The parents of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teenager who was shot by George Zimmerman last year, have settled a wrongful-death lawsuit against the homeowners’ association in the gated community where he was killed.

At the time of the shooting, Mr. Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch captain at the development, the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Fla., where he lived with his wife. A homeowners’ association newsletter sent to residents in February 2012, the same month as the shooting, cited Mr. Zimmerman as the person to contact for neighborhood watch issues. The newsletter suggested that if concerns arose, they first call the police and then alert Mr. Zimmerman.

After Mr. Martin’s death, his parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, sued the association for wrongful death. The amount of the settlement was not revealed. As is customary in such settlements, the association admitted no guilt in Mr. Martin’s death and all parties are bound to confidentiality. The Orlando Sentinel obtained the portion of the settlement that was made public Friday at the Seminole County courthouse.

The Martin family’s lawyer, Benjamin Crump, has said he planned to file a separate lawsuit against Mr. Zimmerman at a later date.

The Martin family and the association tried to settle the lawsuit through mediation earlier in the year but talks fell apart after Mr. Martin’s parents rejected a $1 million offer, said Mark O’Mara, Mr. Zimmerman’s criminal lawyer. Negotiations later resumed and the two sides ultimately reached an agreement. The Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America is the association’s insurer.

Mr. Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Mr. Martin, is scheduled to go on trial in June. Mr. Zimmerman has said that he shot Mr. Martin, 17, in self-defense.

On Feb. 26, 2012, Mr. Zimmerman saw Mr. Martin walking inside the Retreat at Twin Lakes, with a hoodie pulled over his head to ward off rain. Mr. Zimmerman called the police and described Mr. Martin as suspicious, adding that it looked like “he was up to no good.” The police told him to stay put, but Mr. Zimmerman got out of his S.U.V. and followed Mr. Martin as the teenager walked toward his father’s girlfriend’s house, where he was staying.

Soon after, Mr. Martin tackled him and started to punch him and slam his head against the sidewalk, Mr. Zimmerman told the police. Mr. Zimmerman reached for his gun and shot Mr. Martin in the chest, killing him with one bullet. Mr. Martin did not have a gun.