The family of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May 2020, sparked the worldwide Black Lives Matter movement, has sued Kanye West, 45, for $250 million.
Kanye stated on an Oct. 17 episode of the Drink Champs podcast that officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder after a videotape of him holding his knee over George’s neck for more than 9 minutes surfaced, was not actually responsible for the death. “They sprayed him with fentanyl.”Look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that,” Kanye claimed in the podcast, which has since been taken down.
George Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd (2nd from Right) and George Floyd’s daughter Gianna Floyd (Right) watch as President Joe Biden signs a historic Executive Order to advance effective, accountable policing and strengthen public safety during an event held in the East Room of The White House in Washington, DC, on May 25, 2022. (Pool/ABACA/Shutterstock)
Several days later, George’s ex-wife, Roxie Washington, 40, filed a lawsuit against Kanye in court on behalf of George’s 8-year-old daughter, Gianna. In a lengthy interview, the attorney representing the Floyd family told HollywoodLife that the family was “hurt, confused, and angry” after hearing Kanye’s false claims.
George Floyd’s youngest daughter, Gianna, was “traumatized” by Kanye West’s remarks, which falsely claimed that her father died from a fentanyl overdose. (Pool/ABACA/Shutterstock)
“The lawsuit is scheduled to be filed within the next few weeks.” “We’re still interviewing potential defendants and want to get everything in order before we file,” said attorney Kay Harper Williams of Witherspoon Law Group, which is representing the Floyd family.
When asked if there was anything Kanye could do to get them to drop the suit, they said, “That would be a little too late for that.” My client has already suffered harm.
“Based on Mr. West’s comments on Mr. Floyd’s estate and Mr. Floyd himself, an apology would likely not feel genuine because his behavior has not changed,” the attorney explained.Learn more about what they had to say about the pending lawsuit, including why they chose the figure they did.