Spike Lee sued over tweet on address he thought was George Zimmerman's

SANFORD, Fla., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A Florida couple sued director Spike Lee for retweeting their address soon after George Zimmerman was accused of fatally shooting unarmed Trayvon Martin.

A Twitter message Lee sent last year to his 240,000 followers contained an address the actor-director thought belonged to Zimmerman, but was actually that of Elaine and David McClain, both in their 70s, of Sanford, Fla., ABC News reported Monday.

The couple's Sanford home became the focal point of online anger aimed at Zimmerman, who also lived in Sanford.

In their lawsuit filed in Florida, the McClains accused Lee of negligence. The suit was filed in September but published last week by The Smoking Gun website.

A California man was the original source of the misinformation and tweeted the address to various celebrities, the lawsuit said. Lee retweeted his Twitter followers the same address, which was repeated multiple times with threatening messages, ABC News said.

The McClains told Orlando, Fla., news station WKMG-TV that the wife's youngest son's name is George Zimmerman, but he is no relation to the George Zimmerman who successfully argued self-defense when he shot Martin. He was acquitted in May.

The McClains, who haven't sued anyone else, alleged in their suit they feared for their lives after their address was reposted on Lee's account. They are seeking at least $15,000 in damages.

Lee previously settled with the couple over the retweet. The couple's lawsuit alleged they were threatened throughout Zimmerman's 2013 trial.

ABC News said the McClains, their attorney and Lee's representatives did not respond to requests for comments.