George Floyd’s Family Considering Lawsuit Against Kanye, Candace Owens
After the recent controversial comments, Kanye made on REVOLT’s Drink Champs Saturday (Oct. 15), the rapper might be involved in a lawsuit involving the late George Floyd. News personality Candace Owens, who created the documentary Black Lives Matter, The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM may also be named in the forthcoming suit.
Kanye was discussing his newfound confidant Candace Owens’ documentary, which apparently talks about George Floyd’s death at the hands of white former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. After watching the documentary, Ye says he “learned” that Floyd’s death was actually caused by his alleged usage of fentanyl and that the cop’s knee wasn’t “on his neck like that.”
Ye’s comments were met with immediate backlash by Twitter users, slamming him for his insensitive remark. However, West and Owens might now be under fire according to Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt who represents George Floyd’s family.
Merritt says that he is “exploring all possible legal avenues” for a potential lawsuit against West for his comments on Drink Champs and for Owens’ new documentary, per TMZ. Merritt told the tabloid that a defamation lawsuit is not possible since Floyd is deceased but the Floyd estate could claim emotional distress due to Ye’s comments. Although Ye did not mention Floyd’s family members in his latest remarks, and allegedly Owens’ documentary could leave a negative impact on them which is why Merritt is pursuing a lawsuit.
In the bigger picture, Merritt says statements such as the ones that Kanye has made are “false and hurtful.” He also told the outlet that statement like Kanye’s compromise the “Floyd family’s efforts to pass legislation, like the George Floyd Policing Act, and their work at large.” He added that it “deflects blame from the officers who’ve been convicted in connection to his murder, especially Chauvin.”
As for Owens, Merritt says he and the family have to go through her documentary to see exactly what was said to see if any legal action can be taken.