George Floyd’s family lawyers revealed that the family has been receiving online abuse since Ye (Kanye West) made remarks about Floyd’s murder on an episode of the “Drink Champs” podcast.
“They are receiving hateful comments on the internet about his death again so they’re reliving this horrific incident repeatedly,” Pat Dixon, Founder and Partner of Dixon & Dixon Attorneys at Law said.
In an interview for the podcast “Drink Champs,” which has since been removed, Ye erroneously claimed that Floyd’s death was caused by fentanyl, despite the fact that his cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation. Ye also claimed that Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee was not actually on Floyd’s neck.
Derek Chauvin’s leg was on George Floyd’s shoulder blades, therefore, his neck was unmarked! Overdosed fentanyl killed George Floyd:
There were no marks on George Floyd’s neck because Derek Chauvin’s knee was on his shoulder-blades!! George Floyd died of an overdose of fentanyl.
Unfortunately this is a MAJOR epidemic in America that is happening thanks to PINO Biden’s WIDE OPEN Southern Border! https://t.co/PoSKZpxDWa
— Laura (@ljspeacewithin) October 20, 2022
The incident that led to Chauvin’s arrest and subsequent conviction for the death of Floyd during the arrest provoked demonstrations and criticism on a global scale.
Witherspoon Law Group Partner Kay Harper Williams referred to the remarks as “false and vile.” in her assessment of them.
In response, Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyd’s 8-year-old daughter, Gianna, is preparing to sue Ye for “negligence, infliction of emotional distress, and any other charges that will develop as we comb through the evidence that is available,” Williams said.
Dixon further said that they would pursue charges for “misappropriation of Floyd’s image and likeness.”
Williams said the team is still deciding whether to add any other defendants to the claim, such as Candace Owens, who made similar statements in a documentary on the Black Lives Matter movement triggered by Floyd’s killing.
“All chips are on the table,” Williams said:
On Tuesday, the team announced a lawsuit against Ye for $250 million in damages. However, Kanye West’s statements on George Floyd’s death have prompted Floyd’s daughter to sue him.
The mother of George Floyd's daughter announced they are filing a $250 million lawsuit against Kanye West over his recent statements about Floyd's death. The rapper erroneously declared on a podcast that Floyd died from fentanyl, not as the result of police brutality!
— Alicia (@Alicia0Givens) October 19, 2022
Williams expressed her hope that a jury would also give the family punitive damages, and they have plans to initiate legal action in the coming weeks.
Ye’s antisemitic remarks led to his Twitter and Instagram account being on conditional ban and also ‘The black Jewish Entertainment Alliance and Anti-Defamation League both refute Kanye West over antisemitic tweets:
According to Dixon, Washington was “very, very upset at the comments” by Ye’s comments, and the family is “emboldened right now because they know they have another fight on their hands and they are going to continue to fight to preserve George’s legacy.”
Want to know more about the legal activity of George Floyd’s family against Ye? Let us know!
The legal team also said that they want to safeguard Gianna Floyd from the online hatred directed at her father since she is nearly old enough to surf the internet for herself, according to Dixon.
“People can’t go on TV or go on the internet, whoever it is, and make up lies about her father,” Dixon said.
“We’re here to protect an eight-year-old little girl who lost her father in a horrific way,” Williams said of their intent for this lawsuit. “As Gianna said, her daddy changed the world and we’re not going to allow anybody to tarnish that legacy.”
