The family of George Floyd may sue the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, for claiming that he died from a fentanyl overdose and not police brutality.
West made the comment during an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast on Saturday while discussing Candace Owens’ documentary The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM.
“I 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,” West said. “They hit him with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.”
Floyd died in 2020 after former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes. Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker said even though a small amount of the drug was found in Floyd’s bloodstream at the time of his death, it was not the direct cause.
Floyd’s death was ruled a homicide caused by “cardiopulmonary arrest” that occurred during “law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”
Chauvin was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for Floyd’s murder.
Attorney Lee Merritt, who has represented the Floyd family, tweeted Sunday that they are considering legal action against West over his comments.
“While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death,” Merritt tweeted. “Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.”
