George Zimmerman Hires Divorce Lawyer
In court proceedings, the saying “Better late than never” does not always apply.
Orlando Sentinel reports that George Zimmerman has retained Tampa lawyer Howard Iken of Ayo & Iken to ask the court to set aside the clerk’s order of default entered against him three weeks ago in his divorce case.
Zimmerman is the 30-year-old man who killed unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012. A jury of 6 women acquitted him in July 2013.
Shellie Zimmerman, George’s wife, was charged with perjury following a bond hearing where she misrepresented her knowledge of the couple’s assets. Just after the verdict in George’s murder trial, Shellie entered a plea agreement where she would serve a year’s probation, pay a fine, and complete 100 hours of community service. George was not with her in court when she appeared to enter that plea.
Shellie then filed for divorce, reporting that after the verdict, George abandoned her and went on a “victory tour.” George and Shellie were living in a house owned by Shellie’s parents. As Shellie was removing her belongings from that house, there was an altercation between her, her dad, and George Zimmerman. The public caught a glimpse of a woman with George and subsequently learned that Samantha and George were living together. Shortly thereafter, Samantha and George were in an altercation where George told the police that Samantha was pregnant with his child.
In spite of his actions and sexual intimacy with another woman, George now wants to contest the divorce. Before he can do that however, the court must first set aside the default judgment. If the court sets the default aside, it doesn’t mean that George will ask that no divorce be granted. Rather, he might ask for the court to decide on issues of dividing marital debts and any future assets that Shellie has requested be granted to her.
Florida Rules of Civil Procedures sets forth what a party must prove to the court in order for the court to set-aside a default.
Posted on 02/03/2014, in George and Shellie Zimmerman and tagged default, divorce, George Zimmerman, Howard Iken, Shellie Zimmerman. Bookmark the permalink. 106 Comments.
Can the court refuse to set it aside?
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If he has a “Meritorious Defense” the order can be vacated. This happens all the time, but since he was served, and knows he had to answer it formally, it may be denied.
God forbid Fogen actually has to comply with the law now…..being so far above it and all.
He has no “Meritorious Defense” legally but he’ll find a way to subvert the system. He’ll claim he and Schiebe were so busy trying to make a baby……..then checking all the Home Pregnancy Test strips…….well…..that takes up all his time.
God……how did the rest of us manage ??????
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and then there is his service to ‘the arts’ which must be time consuming
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Rachael,
Yes, the court can deny the motion to set-aside if George fails to prove any of the elements required. Kelly Sims is smart and will most likely wipe the floor with George’s excuses.
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Reasons FogenPhoole will attempt to use….
10) I miss my dogs so much and I cry all day.
9) I can’t get hold of my brother to help me with it
8) Samantha and I have been trying so hard to make a baby
7) Do you have any idea how much gloating I do over Shellie’s conviction !!
6) I’m so scared I need to target practice a lot
5) I have to keep avoiding O’ Mara’s calls and that takes a lot of my time
4) I lost it in while I was in……the complaint that is.
3) Samantha and I have to keep checking those Home Pregnacy strips.
2) I was busy reloading my pistol.
And the #1 reason…………
My lawyer actually wanted me to give him money before I got what I wanted
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LOL@racerrodig.
And here I was anticipating number 1 to be, “I had job interviews.”
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I’m pretty sure his interview days are behind him at this point.
Then again he does think he’s King of the World” already, so he won’t actually apply.
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racerrodig,
Sadly, you’re correct — Zimmerman’s job interview days are in the past. However, since when does he tell the truth — he can lie and say he was interviewing anyway.
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Xena and Racer: Y’all are crazy! 😆
But seriously…, No matter what the rules technically (i.e., to “factinistas”) say, I will be surprised if the judge DOESN’T reconsider the “default” and order the matter to proceed on its merits, with both sides participating.
Just a hunch, based on limited experience with so-called defaults where I live.
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Hey groans!!!
I get the feeling that Kelly Sims is prepared for either way the case might go. If the case does proceed, I can see him now filing a motion to have George pay the plaintiff’s attorney’s fees. That would be a hoot.
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Hope the lawyers required a retainer… that’s all I’m sayin… 🙂
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mindyme62, the Orlando Sentinel did say that George “retained” the lawyer. Hopefully Howard Iken charged a sufficient retainer and George has not duped him into thinking that one or two documents and one or two hearings is all that is necessary because, as we saw in his criminal case, George is more than willing to mud-sling without paying his attorneys.
Oh — and remember that he failed to pay attorney Pantas also.
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Anyone know what points Zman will contest if the court will set aside the default judgement. Anyone know what precedent there is in FL to set aside a default divorce request after the twelfth hour has passed?
If I were I judge, I’d be inclined to rule against him in favor of Shellie, given all his shenanigans up until now. He had plenty of time to respond and possibly the money to do so from his first painting if that actually made anything.
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exactly. I have to wonder about any lawyer who would have him for a client at this point. unless he is paying in blow jobs, I don’t know how he expects to get paid.
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“…..unless he is paying in blow jobs,…”
A hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
What makes you think those are any good………..really now, his checks ain’t !!
You’re killing me……!!!
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Ditto !!
(If not as cute…)
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mind bleach … must get some STAT!
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Two sides,
It’s linked in the article and is pretty standard for most states. Clerical mistakes in judgments; Mistakes; Inadvertence; Excusable Neglect; Newly Discovered Evidence; Fraud.
There’s no excusable neglect nor inadvertence for George. The entire nation knew that Shellie filed for divorce. He ducked and dodged service of summons. When he was served while in jail, he had an attorney. Jayne could have given him instructions on how to file his appearance in the divorce proceeding and request the court for time to obtain a divorce lawyer.
George can neither claim lack of money to hire an attorney because again, the entire nation knew that he sold a painting BEFORE time expired for him to file an answer in the divorce case.
Instead, he behaved as if the case would go into a black-hole if he ignored it and was probably hoping that the court would not grant Shellie anything.
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My guess he’ll contest several items….
1. The dogs.
2. the life insurance policy of $1Million listing Shellie as beneficiary.
3. Half of any settlements (NBC).
4. Wanting her to also assume 1/2 of his attorney fees of $2.5 million.
My guess he doesn’t care about any furniture or other items she listed and asked that he be barred from selling until divorce settled.
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“George can neither claim lack of money to hire an attorney because again, the entire nation knew that he sold a painting BEFORE time expired for him to file an answer in the divorce case.”
This forces him to claim he didn’t get paid and the bidders were “frauds”
All that dumb fuck owns are several firearms and a few bullets. His truck is on the re – po list as he wasn’t even smart to file bankruptcy !!
If he had one once of sense he would have………………..wait…….did I actually say “..if he had one once of sense….”
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racerrodig:
“This forces him to claim he didn’t get paid and the bidders were “frauds”
He will have a major problem with attempting that, the funds he received are taxable and the IRS would find out quickly from e-bay if that was true, too many money trails for him to be successful in pulling that one off.
“All that dumb fuck owns are several firearms and a few bullets. His truck is on the re – po list as he wasn’t even smart to file bankruptcy !!”
He could not even consider that, he would have had to furnish the court with a full statement of “all income” and “all expenses” if he had attempted a bankruptcy filing. Bottom line, unless his new attorney can work a miracle, George has screwed him self. This might get very interesting, and unfortunately it could also get very violent…
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If he had 1/2 a brain, he’d have had Taaffe or one of the other racist twerps claim Fogen painted it for them and now it’s for sale. Once payment cleared, he could split it in some fashion and the paper trail now becomes untraceable cash.
He has an insurmountable issue no matter since it allegedly sold for over 10K.
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Why are you giving them ideas, you know they read Xena’s blog.
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True that is, but the damage is already done and they already think they know everything so I doubt they’d actually take any “advice” anyway.
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Gee, George just figured out that Shellie was going to get some of the money he received from the sale of the “alleged” painting and his pay per view woopin! Hopefully the Judge will deny his request and force George the scam artist to fork over the money….
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One of the biggest mistakes that people make is ignoring a case once they have been served. Plaintiffs give the court jurisdiction and courts don’t need defendants to enter orders by default. Defendants too have standing to file a counter-complaint and ask the court to grant it when plaintiffs do not proceed.
George should have remembered — you snooze, you lose.
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In most states, once one party files, anything each party makes after the filing date can’t be included. If he actually did sell any “art” everything he makes is his, at least in NJ. Maybe FL is different.
I had a friend who won over 250K at a Casino 3 or 4 days after his wife filed yet he had not been served yet. Her lawyers best effort to attach it went for naught. Her reason for filing……..his gambling…….ain’t life a royal bitch !!
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racerodig……same here, this is from a Tampa lawyer’s site.
“Marital assets and liabilities are those that are acquired during the marriage and used during that time by the husband and wife. Of course, non-marital assets are the opposite of marital assets. Non-marital assets were either acquired before the marital relationship, or during the marriage and not comingled with other marital assets, such as through inheritance or as a gift. Property or money earned or received after the filing of a petition for dissolution of marriage is also classified as a non-marital asset. Both the assets and liabilities of the parties can be determined from either the petition for dissolution or from the financial affidavits of the parties.”
http://www.denoncourtlaw.com/index.php
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That’s what I thought.
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racerrodig, Correct me if my memory is wrong again, but did not Shelly ask to receive funds from future earnings in the divorce filing? My antique memory cells seem to recall that she did so….
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I can just hear Shellie saying to George, “I am going to tell ALL!”
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On another note,
This is probably how Shellie handled George during their marriage:
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Yeah, and she’ll wait until the divorce is final so she can keep it all!
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You got to admit, that is one “….you asshole, wait until we get home…..” looks if I ever saw one.
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Sure is!
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That’s a “I know what you been up to ahole.” look.
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LOL!
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What a picture.
If looks could cut someone off at the knees…!
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Here are some dates:
Sept.5, 2013–Shellie files for divorce. Unable to find him, despite it being in every paper and making national news.
Nov. 18, 2013–GZ served divorce papers while sitting in jail on DV charge.
Dec. 21, 2013–GZ sells first painting on ebay.
Jan. 13, 2014–Shellie asks for a default divorce, giving Z more than the require 20 day timeframe to answer.
Jan. 22, 2014–GZ unveils new painting, which is now caught up in a legal battle. The AP says they will follow through since Z has not responded to their paperwork.
Feb. 3, 2014–GZ finally hires a divorce attorney.
Hopefully this judge will put him in his place and deny his attorney’s request to overturn the default.
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towerflower,
Good timeline!
I’m hoping that Kelly Sims will wipe the floor with George so the court will deny his motion to set aside the default.
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I put the dates of his “paintings” in so people can see he had the time to trace paint but didn’t have the time to answer.
He didn’t even need a lawyer to do this, I know a couple of people who got divorced and did it on their own without a lawyer/s. It’s simple when you have no kids and no large assets.
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towerflower,
EXACTLY! When I was looking for the rules to set-aside default judgments, I also found where Florida has Family Law self-help and also mediators.
George didn’t have to even file an answer — he could have filed his appearance and a motion to extend time to file an answer on the basis that he was looking for a lawyer.
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Can he use “Paint Tracer” on a job application…..I like that !!
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@towerflower who says
that’s what i did when my ‘starter marriage’ to what turned out to be a mentally ill drug dealer 13 years my senior went to hell. it worked great for me!
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Another blog poster stole my timeline, only they got their dates wrong……they should check their dates more carefully, like when he was served. They used the date that most news agencies ran the story and not when it actually happened.
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towerflower,
I think I did the same. Orlando Sentinel reported that he was in jail in December. I’ll correct that. THANK YOU! 🙂
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Think Shellie is singing this song?
And, I believe, Shellie will “tell all” about GZ some day.
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“You keep playin’ where you shouldn’t be a playin
and you keep thinkin’ that you’ll never get burnt.
Ha!
I just found me a brand new box of matches yeah
and what he knows you ain’t HAD time to learn.”
Watch out Georgie, Shellie has found her matches.
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LOL!!!
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Here is where Shellie has George now:
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either that or gloria gaynor’s “I will Survive”
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Shellie, with her lawyer, have caught George:
(Photo by Urs Schmidi)
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Get him Shellie
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Love it Yahtzee.
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🙂
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Augh…!!
My cat actually does that! 😦
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I would LOVE to think just MAYBE this time that damn TEFLON IDIOT might go DOWN.But what keeps on creeping back in my head is this is still FLORIDA!! He is going to use every trick in the books & more to get his way.
I wonder if he got an advance from his PRETEND BOXING gig to pay for his divorce attorney?
I should know if he makes up his OWN rules in MURDER,he certainly would in DIVORCE!!
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He’ll be dealing with a different court system, so maybe there is hope.
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I have been wondering that, too, Marilyn.
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George needs to be on a CELLular diet and only eat from “sadlid” bars.
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New version……song for Shellie:
To this tune:
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WOW!! BRAVO … BRAVO, Yahtzee!!
(And what a great song and singing, to boot! Thanks.)
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What a phenomenal trio.
Can’t stop listening.
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Yes, same here!
I discovered the video about two years ago and listen to it often. I love how Mary Tavers’ and Joni Mitchell’s outfits blend with Mama Cass’ dress.
I also love their beautiful expression of friendship and closeness.
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Yahtzee, I hope you don’t mind my own attempt at these lyrics; this song/rendition really touched me.
__________________________________________
This is for Shellie Dean: A special lyrical adaptation of, “I Shall Be Released.”
Sing with the Pros, below, and heal.
Godspeed, Shellie.
________________________________
They say everyone can be replaced.
Yet George’s distance is too near.
So I’ll remember ev-er-y-thing,
And how that LOSER put me here.
[Chorus]
I see my Light come shining!
From the West down to the East!
Any day now!
Any day now:
I SHALL BE released.
They say every woman needs protection.
They say my cheatin’ man must fall.
YES.… I swear I see my reflection,
Someplace SO HIGH above this pall.
[Chorus]
I see my Light come shining!
From the West down to the East!
Any day now!
Any day now:
I SHALL BE released.
There stands that man in a lonely crowd.
The man who swears he’s not to blame!
All day long I hear him shouting SO LOUD.
Just crying out that he was “framed.”
[Chorus]
I see my Light come shining!
From the West down to the East!
Any day now!
Any day now:
I SHALL BE … RELEASED !!
_______________________________
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Fantastic, groans.
I like yours so much!
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Lee Camp hits the ball out of the park in this one.
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Thanks for this, Xena!
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I thought I posted this somewhere, but now I can’t find it. Have I lost my mind? Oh well, as long as it got posted.
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Oh – I found it – it was way back in the “Divide and Conquer Played By Harassers.” I’m glad it got posted here, it is relevant.
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Tell it, Terrence!!!
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They still would have said it if the had drug tested GZ and found booze and amphetamines. and even pot. that is just how they are
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Rachael, right, or they would have said the tests results were wrong for GZ, but right for Trayvon. In their defense of GZ, they even believe that rain discriminates. It washes blood and DNA off Trayvon’s hands and clothes, but not GZ’s jacket and head.
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Xena, correct, when I pointed out in several stories about the various drugs that Z had a prescription for and their side effects, they would justify it by saying he had legal prescriptions. They fail to realize that one could still be held liable for their actions while taking their legal prescriptions……like with Shellie’s mom when she was arrested for DUI and it was for being under the influence of prescription drugs.
One of the things I would love to see changed is that ANYTIME there is a shooting in Florida, that they automatically give the person a blood test to see what they were under the influence of.
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towerflower,
That makes perfect sense. Your comment about driving under the influence of prescription drugs is right on point. A vehicle is considered a deadly weapon when operated by someone under the influence. There’s no question that guns are deadly weapons.
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With GZ divorce news AND with all the nonsense about GZ’s upcoming boxing silliness,
I an NOT forgetting the IMPLICATIONS of the GZ verdict.
Here are some excerpts from Julian Kimble in his article “Remembering Trayvon Martin: How a Young Man’s Short Life and Senseless Death Will ReverberateTrayvon’s Killing is a Reminder of Where Black Men Stand in America” which speak of these implications:
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Well I was not prepared for the verdict. I did not think it was even remotely possible for GZ to walk. I was and am still devastated. My son was only a couple years older than Travyon. It could have been him. That was what I felt from the very moment I first read about this. It could have been my son. Heck, it still could be.
It isn’t like it stopped with Trayvon. In fact, it has become even more.
Yes, Trayvon Martin is dead, but the thing that killed him is still very much alive and seems to be growing.
(Administator’s note. Edited. We do not want to give harassers the wrong impression or anything they can twist.)
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Rachael,
I’m sorry. I should have given you opportunity to clarify what you mean by “it” before I edited your comment.
I understand “it” to be the mindset, bigotry, hatred and sickness that kills and believes that SYG is a free avoid jail card when the only other witness is dead.
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Yep you got it.
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😆
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Whatever personal belongings were taken from Zimmerman when he was arrested, were given back to him when he made bail. He was not in jail for 20 days.
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Needless to say Sims will produce the packet Fogen signed for when he was released the next day and ohhhh about line 4 says “Legal Documents, Divorce Filing, wife, Shellie Zimmerman (Dean)
It’s coming……he’s still so enthralled with himself and thinks he’s “the good guy here” he forgets to check reality.
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racerrodig, did you say “reality”? George has gotten away with lies so much that his only reality is telling more lies.
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What was I thinking ???
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Maybe you were thinking about this;
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“He says he found out about the default only through media accounts and word of mouth.”
So he heard about the default and still waited 21 days after it to respond but he didn’t know about the divorce from the same sources? Yeah, right. Try again.
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towerflower,
George knew Shellie had filed for divorce. He came to rental home when Shellie was moving the rest of her belongings. He knew. He could have wobbled to the Sheriff’s office and signed the summons and got a copy of the complaint.
Since the default was entered, he no doubt got a call from a bill collector and now wants to challenge that the court ordered him to pay marital debts.
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Hahahahaha Hilarious!!!
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https://today.yougov.com/news/2014/02/04/zimmerman-celebrity-boxing/
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http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2014/02/george-zimmerman-boxing-match-chyna-pro-wrestler/
Pro Wrestler Chyna Wants To Fight George Zimmerman: There’s No Greater Humiliation Than Having Your A** Kicked By A Woman!
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Zimmerman’s publicity plan as far as timing to build up momentum couldn’t be worst. Not only is tomorrow Trayvon’s birthday, but the 15th or 16th is Jordan’s. The 26th is the second year anniversary of Trayvon’s death.
The jury is being selected for Dunn’s trial, and Taaffe is on Nancy Grace’s denigrating the guys who were in the SUV to justify why Dunn had the right to shoot at them.
Nancy Grace said tonight that Jordan was shot in the back. That’s something I did not know. She asked Taaffe how was that self-defense, and as he started saying the driver is a former felon, she cut-off his mic.
Nah — all this is putting a bad taste again in America’s mouth. The last thing people want to do is pay to see Zimmerman do anything other than maybe, go to prison.
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I would sure pay to see him go to prison!!!
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that’s what i’ve been saying! not to mention that there are many who are capable 😉
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I hope he is haunted by this every moment of his lifr. how could he have done that? how?
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very touching 😥
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Powerful……keep it coming.
“I was only walking home”
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LLMPapa catches Zimmerman in plain sight
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EXCELLENT ARTICLE
http://www.thenation.com/blog/178249/fuck-george-zimmerman-and-culture-he-rode
I wish I had written it.
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Papa and I must be on the same wavelength…..I mentioned his tile folder seen in a NY Post article on an OS article earlier today. Once again LLMPapa, A Job Well Done!
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Oops, file folder, not tile.
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