The family of George Floyd plans to sue Kanye West and his associates for $250 million in damages over the rapper’s misrepresentations about Floyd’s death.
Roxie Washington, who is the mother of Floyd’s daughter, plans to file a lawsuit on behalf of the child, who is a minor. The family accuses West, his business partners and associates of harassment, embezzlement, defamation and infliction of emotional distress.
According to a statement, Floyd’s family sent a cease and desist letter to West regarding his comments on Drink champions. During the appearance, the rapper falsely claimed that Floyd was not murdered by former police officer Derek Chauvin but that he died of fentanyl. (It’s currently unclear if those aforementioned “associates” include Candace Owens, as West ripped off the debunked claim about Floyd’s death at his news. daily thread– made a “documentary” The biggest lie ever sold).
“If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that,” West said of Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering Floyd by holding his knee on Floyd’s neck and back. , depriving him of oxygen and causing brain damage and heart attack.
Lawyers for Floyd’s family did not return immediately rolling stone‘s request for comment, neither did a representative for West.
The statement announcing the lawsuit plans accuses West of knowingly making “patently false statements” about Floyd’s death to “promote his brand and increase marketing value and revenue for himself, his business partners and associates.” . While there’s no legal basis to sue for defamation on behalf of a deceased person, the attorneys Floyd’s family has retained for that action appear willing to argue that West’s misrepresentations about Floyd have had an equally detrimental effect on his family and daughter.
“The interests of the child come first,” said Nuru Witherspoon of the Witherspoon Law Group. “George Floyd’s daughter is re-traumatized by Kanye West’s comments and he is creating a dangerous and unhealthy environment for her.”
Another attorney, Pat D. Dixon, III, of Dixon & Dixon, added: “Kanye’s comments are repugnant to neglecting the life of George Floyd and profiting from his inhumane death. We will hold Mr. West accountable for his blatant remarks against Mr. Floyd’s legacy.
Lee Merritt – another attorney who has worked with Floyd’s family but is not involved in this scheduled trial – said rolling stone Monday that the nearly $1 billion judgment Sandy Hook parents won against Alex Jones for spreading conspiracy theories about the 2012 shooting could offer a roadmap for legal redress.
West’s misrepresentations about Floyd, as well as his additional anti-Semitic comments about Drink champions, immediately caused an uproar after the episode dropped over the weekend. In the aftermath, one of the show’s hosts, NORE, issued a handful of apologies, and the episode was eventually pulled from podcasting platforms and YouTube.
By speaking with rolling stoneMerritt said Floyd’s family felt “betrayed” by West’s comments, especially since the rapper previously said he made significant donations to Floyd’s family and set up a college fund for his daughter.
“For someone who presented himself as an ally and a supporter of the family, to see him now backtracking and ratifying [Owens’] comments and his extreme opinions are truly disappointing,” Merritt said. “This documentary was offered by someone who we know is on the far right with an agenda. Now you basically see Kanye West defending Derek Chauvin and other conspirators.
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