Director Spike Lee has settled with an older couple whose lives were disrupted by Lee’s activity on Twitter, the Associated Press reported.
Last Friday, Lee retweeted a message to his 240,000 followers that detailed the suspected home address of George Zimmerman, the Sanford, Fla., man who has come to national attention since admitting to shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
People flocked to the residence to demand Zimmerman’s arrest. But the information in the tweet was wrong. Instead, the home was occupied by David and Elaine McClain, both in their 70s, who have a son named George W. Zimmerman—a different George Zimmerman than the one in question. Also, he has not lived with his parents since the mid-1990s.
Lee deleted the retweet almost immediately after learning of it was inaccurate. On Thursday, he posted an apology on his Twitter feed: “I Deeply Apologize To The McClain Family For Retweeting Their Address.It Was A Mistake.Please Leave The McClain’s In Peace.Justice In Court.”
Lee’s lawyer said that the two parties spoke on the telephone Thursday and arrived at a settlement. Terms were not disclosed.
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