George Floyd’s Family May Sue Kanye West for Fentanyl Claim

George Floyd and Kanye West (Credit: Family Photo and Piers Morgan Uncensored)

George Floyd’s family is considering suing Kanye West for making a false claim about Floyd’s death.

During an appearance on the “Drink Champs” video podcast Sunday, the hip-hop mogul said Floyd’s death was caused by fentanyl use and not by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for 9½ minutes.

“They hit [Floyd] with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that,” Ye told hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. “They said he screamed for his mama, mama was his girlfriend. It’s in the documentary.”

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The rapper claimed his account of Floyd’s death was proven in a documentary from conservative commentator Candace Owens titled The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM.

West’s controversial claim drew widespread backlash and prompted civil rights attorney Lee Merritt to announce Floyd’s family is considering taking legal action.

“While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death. Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight,” Merritt tweeted Sunday.

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After facing backlash for letting West spout conspiracy theories and false claims throughout the interview, N.O.R.E. issued an apology. As for the video, it’s been removed from YouTube and the Revolt website.

Floyd was killed during an arrest on May 25, 2020.

Despite West’s claim, the medical examiner ruled Floyd’s death a homicide caused by “cardiopulmonary arrest” that was complicated by “law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”

Chauvin was convicted in April 2021 on two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter, and was sentenced to 22 ½ years in prison. He pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights by using excessive force.

He was sentenced to 252 months in prison or more than 20 years. Federal prosecutors requested Chauvin’s federal sentence be served simultaneously with his state sentence.