Zimmerman, in contrast, had actually been arrested on police allegations of thuggish behavior: for felony assault on a police officer and violent resisting of arrest. Additionally, Zimmerman's former girlfriend also filed statements with a Florida court that alleged that he had refused to leave her home, taken her phone, and assaulted her, that he had previously hit her in her face, and that another time he had thrown her down on the bed despite her repeated objections. Zimmerman ended up pleading down the charges stemming from the fight with a police officer, and he was required to take an anger management class and do community service to get the case dismissed. On the domestic violence front, Zimmerman filed a claim after a domestic violence protection order was issued against him that claimed his ex instigated their fights, and ultimately the court ordered them both to stay away from each other. These documents were not shared with the jury at Zimmerman's trial for murdering Martin because under procedural rules evidence of "prior bad acts" are generally not admissible to prove the crime at issue. However, Zimmerman's violent past could have been shared with the jury to impeach him if he had testified under oath and claimed he had no history of violence, for example, and it could similarly be an issue in a civil case for wrongful death. (Additionally, several of the pages from the domestic violence case had been destroyed by a Florida court, namely the pages involving his ex-girlfriend's allegations against him, and CMD had to pursue extended efforts to obtain a copy of them.) - www.prwatch.org