Attorneys for George Floyd's daughter and her mother have sent rapper Kanye West a cease-and-desist letter, demanding that he refrain from commenting publicly about Floyd's death as he did recently.
Over the weekend, the hip-hop podcast "Drink Champs" released an interview with the rapper and fashion designer, who now goes by Ye, in which he questioned the cause of Floyd's death, suggesting it was due to fentanyl use and not by Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for 9½ minutes and was convicted of murder. Chauvin also pleaded guilty to a federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights.
Chauvin's knee "wasn't even on his neck like that," Ye said. The interview is no longer available on the "Drink Champs" YouTube page, and one of the hosts of the podcast, rapper N.O.R.E., apologized Monday to the Floyd family amid backlash.
The letter — dated Tuesday and sent on behalf of Floyd's daughter, Gianna, and her mother, Roxie Washington, by the Witherspoon Law Group, which has offices in Florida, Illinois, Missouri and Texas — said Washington and Gianna "are very distressed and hurt by the allegations" Ye made. It is addressed to Ye and an attorney who told NBC News he is not representing Ye in this matter.
The letter goes on to say Floyd's cause of death has been well established through multiple trials and court proceedings. Representatives for Ye did not immediately return a request from NBC News for comment.
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