George Floyd's Family May Sue Kanye West Over Fentanyl Death Claims

Kanye West could face a possible lawsuit after making a false statement that George Floyd died due to the drug fentanyl, a civil rights attorney claimed.

"While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye's false statements about the manner of his death," civil rights attorney Lee Merritt wrote in a statement released via Twitter on Sunday.

He continued, "Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl, not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family's fight."

During Sunday's episode of the Revolt TV show "Drink Champs," the 45-year-old Yeezy founder claimed that George Floyd died because of fentanyl and was not killed by officer Derek Chauvin over two years ago.

"They hit him with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy's knee wasn't even on his neck like that," West told hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN after sharing that he recently attended the premiere of conservative influencer Candace Owens's documentary "Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM."

In May 2020, Minneapolis police officers, including Chauvin, held down Floyd, who placed his left knee on the deceased's neck and shoulder for approximately nine minutes, while two other officers pinned him down, prosecutors claimed, according to the BBC.

The 46-year-old victim was reportedly arrested for allegedly buying a pack of cigarettes using a counterfeit $20 bill. The shop assistant immediately called the authorities when Floyd refused to return the pack of cigarettes to the convenience store or pay again.

Earlier this year, Hennepin County's chief medical examiner, Dr. Andrew Baker, testified that Floyd passed away after the police's "subdual, restraint and neck compression," which caused his heart and lungs to stop. The doctor also claimed that his heart disease and drug use were factors, but not the "top line" causes.

Officer Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison last year on charges of murder and manslaughter in Minnesota, and 21 years in July this year after a federal trial was held.

Further in the interview, West spoke up about his recent controversial antisemitic comments on social media and criticisms against his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her ex-boyfriend Pete Davidson for having sex in front of the fireplace because of the reality star's grandmother's advice.

"On TMZ, I just saw yesterday, they said, 'Pete Davidson and Kim have sex by the fireplace to honor their grandmother," the rapper said after emphasizing that Kardashian was a Christian.

He further explained, "It's Jewish Zionists [that are] about that life, that's telling this Christian woman that has four Black children to put that out as a message in the media."

The rapper-turned-designer also continued to accuse the Kardashians of kidnapping his daughter, Chicago, "in public" and claimed that he didn't know the whereabouts of his children. West and the 41-year-old Skims founder share four children: 9-year-old North, 6-year-old Saint, 4-year-old Chicago and 3-year-old Psalm.

West recently made the headlines following a string of controversies, including the launch of the "White Lives Matter" t-shirt during his surprise Yeezy Season 9 fashion show at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month. He also got restricted from social media platforms Twitter and Instagram, following his anti-Jewish posts.