Kanye West Blames George Floyd's Death on Fentanyl; Floyd Family Now Planning to Sue

Kanye West is under fire for his most recent controversial words about George Floyd's death.

In a recent interview, the troubled rapper claimed that Floyd's death was caused by fentanyl and denied that former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for roughly nine minutes.

In response to West's words, the Floyd family is exploring legal action, Yahoo noted.

George Floyd Fentanyl Issue

Kanye West, 45, discussed watching Candace Owens' new documentary "The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM" with "Drink Champs" hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN after attending the docu's premiere last week.

According to Newsweek, Candace Owens' documentary reexamined the "racially divided aftermath" of George Floyd's death by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020.

His death provoked global protests over racial inequality and police brutality.

Following the internet distribution of a video showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes while he begged for air, the death of Floyd sparked outrage across the country.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintended murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in April 2021. He is sentenced to 22 and half years in prison.

West disputed the homicide ruling, claiming Floyd died from using fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid painkiller.

"They hit [Floyd] with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy's knee wasn't even on his neck like that," said West. "They said he screamed for his mama; mama was his girlfriend. It's in the documentary."

Kanye West Lawsuit Is Possibly on the Way

According to trial testimony from the medical examiner who performed Floyd's autopsy, former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck.

The medical examiner maintained his initial conclusion that George Floyd's death resulted from "cardiopulmonary arrest" during "law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression."

Dr. Andrew Baker, Hennepin County's chief medical examiner, stated Floyd's heart problems and fentanyl use contributed to his death but were not the direct cause.

On Sunday, Lee Merritt, a civil rights lawyer, tweeted that the Floyd family is thinking about suing Kanye West. Merritt has previously represented the Floyd family.

"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."

CNN reported that Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, told Merritt about Kanye West's comments and said he planned to sue the public figure for defamation.

Merritt argued that, while it is not legally conceivable because George Floyd is no longer alive, the Floyd family has other legal possibilities, such as suing for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

"I have put together a working team to investigate [West's] statements and to investigate the source of those statements," Merritt said.

Kanye West's comments regarding Floyd came after backlash over antisemitic social media posts and his choice to wear "White Lives Matter" shirts at a fashion show.

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Written by: Bert Hoover

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