{"id":1227415,"date":"2022-10-18T10:43:15","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T10:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/10\/18\/george-floyds-family-considering-lawsuit-against-kanye-west-after-fentanyl-claim\/"},"modified":"2022-10-18T10:43:15","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T10:43:15","slug":"george-floyds-family-considering-lawsuit-against-kanye-west-after-fentanyl-claim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/10\/18\/george-floyds-family-considering-lawsuit-against-kanye-west-after-fentanyl-claim\/","title":{"rendered":"George Floyd\u2019s family considering lawsuit against Kanye West after fentanyl claim"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Kanye West\u2019s latest controversial remarks could land him in a legal battle.<\/p>\n

The artist and entrepreneur, who has changed his name to\u00a0Ye, spoke on a recent episode of the podcast \u201cDrink Champs,\u201d\u00a0where he discussed the death of George Floyd and several other topics.<\/p>\n

\u201cI watched the George Floyd documentary that Candace Owens put out. One of the things that his two roommates said was they want a tall guy like me, and the day that he died, he said a prayer for eight minutes,\u201d West said. \u201cThey hit him with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy\u2019s knee wasn\u2019t even on his neck like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd\u2019s neck, according to Chauvin trial testimony by\u00a0the medical examiner who performed Floyd\u2019s autopsy\u00a0and stood by his initial finding that his death was the result of \u201ccardiopulmonary arrest\u201d that occurred during \u201claw enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker said during his testimony that Floyd\u2019s heart disease and use of fentanyl were contributing factors to his death, but not the direct cause.<\/p>\n

Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who has represented the Floyd family, tweeted Sunday that they are considering legal action against West.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye\u2019s false statements about the manner of his death,\u201d\u00a0Merritt tweeted.<\/a>\u00a0\u201cClaiming Floyd died from fentanyl, not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family\u2019s fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merritt told CNN he was alerted to West\u2019s comments by Floyd\u2019s brother, Philonise Floyd, who told him he wanted to pursue a defamation suit against the celebrity.<\/p>\n

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While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd<\/a> is considering suit for Kanye\u2019s false statements about the manner of his death.<\/p>\n

Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family\u2019s fight.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Lee Merritt (@MerrittForTexas) October 16, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While that\u2019s not legally possible because George Floyd is deceased, Merritt said, there are other legal avenues to pursue, including the Floyd family possibly suing for intentional infliction of emotional distress.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have put together a working team to investigate [West\u2019s] statements and to investigate the source of those statements,\u201d Merritt said.<\/p>\n

CNN has reached out to a representative of West for additional comment.<\/p>\n

West\u2019s remarks about Floyd come amid backlash for recent social media posts by West that were criticized as anti-semitic and his decision to dress himself and several models \u201cWhite Lives Matter\u201d shirts at a recent fashion show.<\/p>\n

Video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd\u2019s neck for more than eight minutes sparked protests and calls for justice around the world.<\/p>\n

Chauvin\u00a0was convicted in April 2021\u00a0on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and\u00a0sentenced to 22 and half years in prison.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n