I just checked on “slander” and “libel” and I guess I should have used the latter word since it involves written falsehoods.
That's correct, but either way Zimmerman will have a good case. NBC (against whom Zimmerman has the clearest case) will try to dodge using the "celebrity exception" by claiming Zimmerman is a celebrity and therefore must prove malice, which is a higher bar than just us peons. Two things wrong with that: NBC clearly demonstrated malice when it edited tapes to "prove" Zimmerman is a racist, and secondly, NBC created his "celebrity" status in the first place when they called him a racist.
Zimmerman is going to need that settlement money because he's going to have the crap sued out of him by the Martin family if he's acquitted. He will still have civil liability because he didn't go the Stand Your Ground route. I can see why he didn't, after watching this heavily biased "judge/prosecutor" in action. She would never have given him a fair hearing on that.
Oh, I forgot...he’s going to need the money for a defense fund because Obastard and Holdem’ will file Federal Civil Rights charges the instant the “judge” reads the non-guilty verdict.