Parents of George Zimmerman sue Roseanne Barr

Gladys and Robert Zimmerman Sr., parents of George Zimmerman, have filed a lawsuit against comedian and former presidential candidate Roseanne Barr, claiming that their lives were harmed after Barr allegedly posted their home address on Twitter in 2012.

Zimmerman's parents allege that Barr attempted to incite a "lynch mob to descend" onto their home for "vigilante justice" when she posted their address online, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

In July 2013, George Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer, was found not guilty on charges stemming from the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The case sparked national interest about race and Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law. Zimmerman claimed he acted in self-defense.

Barr deleted the tweet before reportedly writing, "If Zimmerman isn't arrested I'll rt his address again — maybe go 2 his house myself."

At the time of the tweets, Barr had approximately 110,000 followers, according to court documents.

The suit, which was filed on Monday, claims that the couple were forced to leave their home after their address became public, MyFoxOrlando reports. The Zimmermans are seeking damages "in excess of $15,000" and cite emotional distress and invasion of privacy.

The suit alleges that Barr acted "extremely and outrageously in making the tweets which were intended to cause severe emotional distress to Robert and Gladys Zimmerman and great physical harm, if not death."

Another allegation in the suit reads, "The behavior of Roseanne Barr under the circumstances went beyond all possible bounds of decency and is utterly intolerable in a civilized community."

In 2012, filmmaker Spike Lee tweeted what he thought was the address of George Zimmerman. It turned out to be the wrong address. Lee later apologized for the mistake. He also agreed to compensate the residents financially.

Follow Mike Krumboltz on Twitter (@mikekrumboltz).

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