George Floyd’s Family Considers Lawsuit Against Kanye West

Kanye West‘s recent comments on the Drink Champs podcast about the manner of George Floyd’s death might lead to a lawsuit by Mr. Floyd’s family.

On Sunday (Oct. 16), Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney who has represented the Floyd family, announced on Twitter that the family of the George Floyd, the man killed in May of 2020 when former Minneapolis, Minn. police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nine minutes, is considering suing the controversial rap artist.

“While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death,” Merritt’s post reads. “Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.”

Kanye West and N.O.R.E. have come under fire for the latest episode of Drink Champs, where Ye made false comments about the death of George Floyd, reciting talking points made in right-wing pundit 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,” Kanye told N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. “If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that…It’s in the documentary.”

Contrary to Kanye’s false belief, it was proven in criminal and civil court that disgraced former police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck during an arrest was the major factor in his murder. Last April, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Last May, the city of Minneapolis settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Floyd’s family for $27 million. Chauvin was sentenced to 22 years in prison last June.

XXL has reached out to Kanye West’s team for comment.

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