George Floyd’s family preps $250M suit against Kanye West for overdose comments
The mother of George Floyd’s daughter says she plans to file a $250 million defamation lawsuit against Kanye West for suggesting that Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose, lawyers announced Tuesday.
Roxie Washington plans to file suit on behalf of her and Floyd’s minor daughter Gianna Floyd, accusing West of making the comments “to promote his brands, and increase marketing value and revenue for himself, his business partners and associates,” the Witherspoon Law Group and Dixon & Dixon Attorneys at Law — which are repping the family — said in a statement.
The 45-year-old rapper — who now goes by Ye — made the comments during an hours-long interview Sunday on the “Drink Champs” podcast.
Floyd, 46, died in May 2020 in a caught-on-video arrest by Minnesota police in which since-fired officer Derek Chauvin — who was later convicted of murder — could be seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck.
“They hit him with the fentanyl,” West said. “If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.”
The lawyers sent West a cease-and-desist letter Tuesday saying he has “maliciously made statements that are inaccurate and unfounded, causing damage to Mr. Floyd’s estate and family,” the letter reads.
The letter also demanded that the interview be taken down from all over the internet and demanded that West not make any further statements about Floyd’s death.
“We will take all appropriate and necessary legal action if you, your attorneys, employees, agents, partners, associates, and representatives fail to comply with this demand,” the letter reads.
While the full interview has been taken down, clips of West’s comments are still being circulated and viewed worldwide, the release says.
“George Floyd’s daughter is being re-traumatized by Kanye West’s comments and he’s creating an unsafe and unhealthy environment for her,” Nuru Witherspoon said in the statement.
Chauvin also claimed that drugs found in Floyd’s system were responsible for his death.
But a medical examiner determined that a lack of oxygen and compression of Floyd’s neck were the cause of his death.
Chauvin also pleaded guilty to a federal charge of depriving Floyd of his right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer.
His plea agreement in the case included a statement saying: “As Mr. Floyd lay on the ground, handcuffed and unresisting, the defendant kept his knees on Floyd’s neck and body, even after Mr. Floyd became unresponsive. This offense resulted in bodily injury to, and the death of George Floyd.”
Reps for West didn’t return a request for comment Tuesday.