The complaint claims Zimmerman has since received death threats, threats of capture and has had a bounty placed on him, resulting in "a constant, genuine fear for his life resulting in his need to, among other things, live in hiding and wear a bulletproof vest."
"Zimmerman was even dismissed from his college because the school felt the death threats were dangerous to fellow students," alleges the complaint as it appears on the website.
The complaint alleges Zimmerman has suffered "severe and permanent emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassment and humiliation."
Zimmerman is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and is demanding a jury trial.
"What NBC did is in large part what created this national and international outrage against George," Jim Beasley Jr. of The Beasley Firm in Philadelphia, one of Zimmerman's attorneys, told The Legal on Thursday. Mark O'Mara of Orlando-based O'Mara Law Group is also representing Zimmerman in the suit.
A spokesperson for NBC could not be reached for comment late on Thursday.
Burnside, who is now a reporter for KOMO 4 News in Seattle, and Luciano, now a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, did not respond to requests for comment late on Thursday.
Zack Needles can be contacted at 215-557-2493 or zneedles@alm.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZNeedlesTLI.
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