The artist formerly known as Kanye West could face a lawsuit from the family of George Floyd for spreading the incorrect and unproven narrative that he died of a drug overdose during his wildly controversial Drink Champs podcast appearance.
Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt posted on Twitter Sunday that a lawsuit against Ye is under consideration based on the disgraced artist’s “false statements about the manner of his death.”
While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death.
Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.
— Lee Merritt (@MerrittForTexas) October 16, 2022
Ye cited Candace Owens’ latest documentary about Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement to support his claim that fentanyl contributed to his death. Considering West previously admitted he hasn’t “read any book,” one can almost assume he didn’t read about the independent autopsy which found that Floyd died from “asphyxia due to sustained forceful pressure.”
It’s also likely West didn’t read about Dr. Martin Tobin, an expert in the physiology of breathing, testifying that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen due to the positioning of the victim’s body, which brought about the actions of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin. A jury of 12 individuals found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, based on the evidence presented, Dr. Tobin’s testimony included.
Stephen Jackson, former NBA player and friend of Floyd, posted a video in response to West’s remarks earlier today, imploring West to talk to those who actually knew him, instead of believing “clout chasers” who have made a living off of dishonoring Floyd’s name.
Source: Complex.com