Lawyers for George Floyd's daughter draft cease-and-desist letter to Kanye West - CNN

CNN  — 

Lawyers representing Roxie Washington, the parent of George Floyd’s daughter, person drafted a cease-and-desist missive to Ye, formerly known arsenic Kanye West, implicit comments helium made claiming Floyd was killed by a fentanyl overdose.

On the podcast “Drink Champs,” West claimed George Floyd was killed by a fentanyl overdose, contempt a aesculapian examiner’s grounds that fentanyl not the nonstop origin of Floyd’s death, lone a contributing origin erstwhile helium died aft being knelt connected by a constabulary officer.

Attorneys astatine Witherspoon Law Group told CNN the comments were particularly damaging to Gianna Floyd, George Floyd’s daughter.

“She’s a small miss that’s been traumatized and is being re-traumatized by Kanye West,” lawyer Kay Harper Williams said of George Floyd’s daughter. It’s “intentional infliction of affectional distress,” she added.

When CNN sat with then-6-year-old Gianna Floyd successful June 2020 she didn’t accidental a connection during the interview.

The attorneys person indicated they mean to besides record a suit “for harassment, misappropriation, defamation, and infliction of affectional distress.”

CNN has reached retired to a typical of Ye for comment.

As of Tuesday, the occurrence of “Drink Champs” appeared to person been removed from YouTube and Revolt TV. However, “it inactive exists, that does not region it from the universe,” said Williams.

“Too small excessively late, the harm has been done to our client,” she added.

A cease-and-desist letter, provided to CNN, was addressed to an lawyer they believed was representing Ye, however, they told CNN they were informed this lawyer was not really affiliated with Ye successful this matter. They’re actively trying to marque definite it’s received, though they added determination volition beryllium much unit erstwhile the suit is formally filed.

Regarding a abstracted ineligible effort being explored by lawyer Lee Merritt, who has represented the Floyd household connected matters successful the past, Williams told CNN the 2 ineligible person not been coordinating efforts up to this point.

Merritt told CNN connected Monday that Floyd’s member contacted him to prosecute a defamation suit against the star.

While that’s not legally imaginable due to the fact that George Floyd is deceased, Merritt said, determination are different ineligible avenues to pursue, including the Floyd household perchance suing for intentional infliction of affectional distress.

“I person enactment unneurotic a moving squad to analyse [Ye’s] statements and to analyse the root of those statements,” Merritt said.

CNN has reached retired to Merritt for remark connected the cease-and-desist letter.

“George Floyd, conscionable similar Gianna said, changed the satellite truthful to person Kanye West travel backmost and talk successful a mode that’s harmful to that legacy,” Williams said, “I’m offended arsenic a human, arsenic a achromatic woman, arsenic a mother.”

“Gianna is simply a kid and she’s being harmed,” she added.

“There’s a truly important treatment close present astir the state astir speech,” said Witherspoon. “But astatine the extremity of the time you cannot accidental these things that are false.”