The Witherspoon Law Group and Dixon & Dixon Attorneys at law announced that the mother of George Floyd’s daughter, Roxie Washington, is suing rapper Kanye “Ye” West, his business partners and associates for $250 million for “harassment, misappropriation, defamation, and infliction of emotional distress.”
The lawsuit follows Ye’s disgusting and incorrect remark that Floyd didn’t die from former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin suffocating him with his knee on Floyd’s neck. Ye claimed he died from fentanyl while on the Drink Champs podcast.
Washington is suing on behalf of her minor child, the sole beneficiary of Floyd’s estate.
Witherspoon Law Group’s statement stated that Ye made the false comments to profit from “Floyd’s horrendous death and family’s trauma.”
“I watched the George Floyd documentary that Candace Owens put up,” Ye said on the podcast. “One of the things that his two roommates said was they want a tall guy like me…and the day when he did, he said a prayer for eight minutes.”
He continued, “They hit him with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that. When he said mama, mama is his girlfriend. They said he screamed for his mama. Mama was his girlfriend. It’s in the documentary, but something that hit me that f**ked me up when I was watching the documentary, and it said they want a tall guy like me. When I looked at the image of him, this tall Black dude with the bald head, he reminded me of somebody else…Virgil [Abloh].”
Drink Champs removed the episode from their account, but the entire video has been posted to another YouTube account.
“Kanye’s comments are a repugnant attempt to discount George Floyd’s life and to profit from his inhumane death,” Attorney Pat. D. Dixon, III, a partner at Dixon & Dixon Attorneys at Law, said. “We will hold Mr. West accountable for his flagrant remarks against Mr. Floyd’s legacy.”
Attorney Kay Harper Willims of The Witherspoon Law Group said, “Free Speech Rights do not include harassment, lies, misrepresentation, and the misappropriation of George Floyd’s legacy. Some words have consequences and Mr. West will be made to understand that.”
Drink Champs’ host Noreaga apologized for Ye’s comment and claimed it was his fault. There was a point in the video where Noreaga tried to tell him it was insensitive, but Ye never lets anyone get a word in when he goes on his rants.
During the trial, Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker did confirm that Floyd had heart disease and did use fentanyl. But Dr. Baker also said they weren’t the direct cause of his death. Dr. Vik Bebarta, an emergency physician, toxicologist, and University of Colorado professor, noted that Chauvin’s knee killed Floyd and the officers failed to roll him on his side to help him breathe, which cops were trained to do.
