Elaine McClain said she’s now too afraid to go out to the mailbox at her Sanford home, for fear of what may be inside.
“It really needs to stop. I quit reading any of the mail because it was just too scary,” said McClain.
About a month after the shooting of Trayvon Martin last year, filmmaker Spike Lee sent a tweet to his approximately 240,000 Twitter followers, listing a Sanford address he thought was George Zimmerman’s. It was really the McClains.
Lee apologized on Twitter and settled with the McClains, offering to pay for expenses his mistake caused, like lodging for the couple to stay somewhere else.
“Leaving your home, and even when you come back, not knowing if someone was going to shoot through the window or set your house on fire,” said McClain.
Elaine and her husband, David, eventually returned to their Sanford home after living somewhere else for weeks, but they said the messages of hate never stopped.
Elaine said the stress caused her to have a heart attack and other health problems.
She had appointments with doctors before and after her interview for this story.
Now, the couple is suing Lee for damages in excess of $15,000.
They said it will be impossible to ever sell their home because realtors will require them to reveal the background of the address.
But beyond financial compensation, the McClains said they also want to send a clear message to everyone.
“Make sure what you’re sending out is truthful, and then still don’t send it. It’s just too hurtful. I have deep sympathy for both families that went through this, but we didn’t have anything to do with this, and it’s caused our lives to really change,” said McClain.
Requests to Spike Lee for comment were not immediately returned.