The family of George Floyd announced on Tuesday that they would file a $250 million lawsuit against Kanye West. The suit is in reference to the rapper’s comments on the latest episode of N.O.R.E and DJ EFN’s podcast Drink Champs over the manner of Floyd’s death.
Following the news that George Floyd’s family was contemplating legal action on Sunday, the Witherspoon Law Group announced it would be handling the suit against Kanye West. The firm was retained by George Floyd’s partner Roxie Washington on behalf of their daughter. The attorneys also filed a cease-and-desist letter to Kanye over his comments.
The firm released a statement, explaining that Ye “knowingly made blatantly false statements about George Floyd’s death” to promote his business interests. They also accused the rapper of “wanting to profit from Mr. Floyd’s horrendous death and his family’s trauma.”
Kay Harper Williams, a partner at the Witherspoon Law Group, also says Ye’s claims cannot be protected under free speech.
“Free speech rights do not include harassment, lies, misrepresentation, and the misappropriation of George Floyd’s legacy,” Williams argued in her statement. “Some words have consequences and Mr. West will be made to understand that.”
Kanye’s comments on George Floyd
Kanye immediately faced backlash for his statements on the October 15 episode of Drink Champs. The rapper claimed that fentanyl was the true cause of George Floyd’s death. However, Derek Chauvin was convicted for the murder. Ye’s argument stems from Candace Owens’ new documentary The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM.
“I watched the George Floyd documentary that Candace Owens put out,” Yeezus argued on the podcast. “One of the things that his two roommates said was, ‘They want a tall guy like me,’ and the day that he died, he said a prayer for eight minutes. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.”
On Monday, N.O.R.E apologized for letting Kanye make his comments, as well as for not immediately checking him. In addition, the official video of Ye’s Drink Champs interview has since been removed from YouTube.
Written by Olan Bryant
