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Why George Floyd’s family is suing Kanye West for $250 million

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In this Nov. 6, 2019, file photo, Kanye West attends the WSJ. Magazine 2019 Innovator Awards at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. West is being sued by the family of George Floyd for $250 million.

In this Nov. 6, 2019, file photo, Kanye West attends the WSJ. Magazine 2019 Innovator Awards at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. West is being sued by the family of George Floyd for $250 million.

Evan Agostini/Invision/Associated Press

The family of George Floyd announced plans to sue Ye, formerly known by Kanye West, after he made comments on the “Drink Champs” podcast about Floyd’s death.

‘Drink Champs’ has since pulled the episode, citing “false and hurtful comments” about George Floyd, per the Hollywood Reporter.

What did Kanye say about George Floyd’s death?

George Floyd’s death was ruled a homicide due to police brutality, but West claimed Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose.

“They hit [Floyd] with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that,” West said, according to Newsweek.

“They said he screamed for his mama; mama was his girlfriend. It’s in the documentary,” he continued, referring to Candace Owens’s new documentary “The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM,” the premiere of which West attended last week.

Why Kanye is being sued

Following these comments, the family of George Floyd issued a cease-and-desist to West, NPR reported.

On Tuesday, the attorneys for Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyd’s daughter—Gianna Floyd—then released a statement in which they announced that Floyd’s family planned to sue West for “harassment, misappropriation, defamation and infliction of emotional distress seeking $250 million dollars in damages.”

“The interests of the child are priority,” Attorney Nuru Witherspoon stated, “George Floyd’s daughter is being retraumatized by Kanye West’s comments and he’s creating an unsafe and unhealthy environment for her.”

Kanye’s other controversies

Kanye West’s statements about George Floyd come amidst other recent controversial statements by the rapper.