ORLANDO (CN) - George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who killed Trayvon Martin, owes a security company $27,000 for protecting the Zimmerman family, the company claims in court.
CMR Associates dba Associated Investigative Services sued Zimmerman and his wife, Shellie, their attorney Mark O'Mara and the O'Mara Law Group, in Orange County Court.
"This is an action for the recovery of monetary damages arising out of the refusal of defendants to pay a licensed private investigation company for agreed security services," the complaint states.
Associated claims that O'Mara hired it on June 26, "to provide security services and security detail for the Zimmerman family in anticipation of Mr. Zimmerman's release from incarceration while he was awaiting trial on felony criminal charges."
It was an oral contract, but O'Mara "promis(ed) both to sign a retainer agreement with Associated and to provide Associated with a requested retainer," according to the complaint.
Associated says it charged $60 an hour, 70 cents per mile and costs, and that O'Mara paid it $40,000 - until the money stopped.
Associated claims that neither O'Mara, Zimmerman nor the defense team ever complained about its services or its price.
But after getting the most recent invoice, on Dec. 14, O'Mara responded: "George does not have any funds presently available to him to attend to any such debt, realizing the enormity of upcoming expenses of the defense and the diminished nature of the defense fund," according to the complaint.
That's your problem, Associated says.
It claims O'Mara and Zimmerman owe it $27,027.08.
Associated also claims it lost other, investigative work, which would have paid $150 an hour, because it was working for Zimmerman and O'Mara for $60 an hour.
Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for killing the unarmed teen-ager, in a case that made national headlines.
His trial has been set for June 10, 2013. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January.
Associated is represented by Stephen Milbrath, with Allen, Dyer, Doppelt, Milbrath & Gilchrist.
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