George Floyd's family sues Kanye for $250M, plus cease-and-desist
George Floyd died after being arrested by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day in 2020.
On Oct. 18, George Floyd's daughter, the child's mother and their attorneys announced a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Kanye West for his "repugnant" comments on Floyd's death during an episode of "Drink Champs".
In a press release issued by Witherspoon Law Group and Dixon & Dixon Attorneys at Law, Washington accused the rapper of harassment, misappropriation, defamation, and infliction of emotional distress. Acting on behalf of her 8-year-old daughter, Gianna, she is suing him, his business partners and associates for a quarter of billion dollars in damages for George Floyd's estate.
Their attorneys also issued a cease-and-desist letter to West.
This lawsuit comes after a highly controversial appearance on the podcast ‘Drink Champs’.
West, who now goes by the name "Ye", expressed significant doubt over Floyd's cause of death.
"I watched the George Floyd documentary that Candace Owens put out," Ye said. "They hit him with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that."
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 02: Kanye West aka Ye is seen wearing a Balenciaga boxing mouthguard, outside Givenchy, during Paris Fashion Week - Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 - Day Seven on October 02, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/GC
During the trial against former Minnesota police officer, Derek Chauvin, the medical examiner who performed Floyd's autopsy ruled his death a result of "cardiopulmonary arrest" from restraints and neck compression.
Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker said that Floyd’s heart disease and use of fentanyl were contributing factors to his death, but not the direct cause.
Candace Owens maintained through a tweet on Oct. 17 that her documentary "The Greatest Lie Ever Sold" was justified in pursuing the levels of fentanyl found in Floyd's autopsy.
"West knowingly made blatantly false statements about George Floyd's death to promote his brands, and increase marketing value and revenue for himself, his business partners and associates," the press release went on to say.
"The interests of the child are priority. George Floyd's daughter is being retraumatized by Kanye West's comments, and he's creating an unsafe and unhealthy environment for her," said Attorney Nuru Witherspoon, one of the partners at The Witherspoon Law Group.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 09: Roxie Washington (R) and Gianna Floyd, daughter of George Floyd, attend the funeral service in the chapel at the Fountain of Praise church June 9, 2020 in Houston, Texas. George Floyd died May 25 while in Minneapolis police
The full podcast interview was previously published on YouTube and Revolt TV, but has since been removed from both platforms. Before that, it was widely shared around social media.
FAMILY OF GEORGE FLOYD ‘ABSOLUTELY GOING TO SUE’ KANYE WEST FOR REMARKS MADE ABOUT HIS DEATH
On Monday, Oct. 17, one of George Floyd's sisters told FOX 26 in Houston that they were ‘absolutely going to sue’ over his comments. It appears the family has followed through on that promise.