Human Interest Human Interest News Social Issues News George Floyd's Family Lawsuit Against Kanye West Is 'Forthcoming' After False Overdose Claim: Lawyer "Kanye's comments are a repugnant attempt to discount George Floyd's life and to profit from his inhumane death," said attorney Pat D. Dixon III in a statement By Christine Pelisek Christine Pelisek Christine Pelisek is a senior crime writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2014. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 18, 2022 04:37PM EDT Kanye West, George Floyd. Photo: Gotham/GC Images Kanye West may be facing a $250 million lawsuit after his false claims about George Floyd's death. In a press release issued Tuesday, the Witherspoon Law Group and Dixon & Dixon Attorneys at Law said Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyd's daughter, had retained them to sue the 45-year-old rapper for harassment, misappropriation, defamation and infliction of emotional distress on their daughter after comments West made on the podcast "Drink Champs" on Saturday. The attorneys said they have issued a cease-and-desist letter to West over his remarks. On the podcast, West falsely claimed Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose despite the fact that Floyd's May 2020 death was ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner and an independent examiner hired by the Floyd family. "Kanye's comments are a repugnant attempt to discount George Floyd's life and to profit from his inhumane death," said attorney Pat D. Dixon III in the statement. "We will hold Mr. West accountable for his flagrant remarks against Mr. Floyd's legacy." George Floyd memorial in Minneapolis. Tim Evans/Bloomberg via Getty A Year After Derek Chauvin's Conviction, George Floyd's Sister Says Brother "Truly Did Change the World" In 2021, former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who pinned his knee to Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes while Floyd yelled, "I can't breathe," was convicted of murder. At his trial, numerous experts testified that even though he had fentanyl in his system, Floyd's death was a homicide. "Free Speech Rights do not include harassment, lies, misrepresentation, and the misappropriation of George Floyd's legacy," said attorney Kay Harper Williams in the statement. "Some words have consequences and Mr. West will be made to understand that." Floyd's sister LaTonya Floyd previously told PEOPLE the family was considering legal action. "The judge took the gavel in his hands and slammed it on the table, and his death was ruled as murder — which we all know it was," she said. "We have been through a lot. We have suffered a whole lot, and we are still suffering," she said. "The marches and the fights for justice are never gonna stop. For us to hear someone of color say something like that, it's a really painful place." 2 Years After George Floyd Was Murdered by a Police Officer, His Sister Still 'Feels His Spirit' West's comments come after the rapper had his Twitter account restricted earlier this month for tweeting antsemitic comments, including saying he was going "death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE" in a now-deleted tweet, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. That move by Twitter came about after Instagram restricted the Grammy Award winner's account and deleted content from his page after he violated the social media platform's rules and guidelines, according to NBC News and CNN. On Monday, Parler, the far-right social media site, announced West was acquiring the company. To help combat systemic racism, consider learning from or donating to these organizations: Campaign Zero works to end police brutality in America through research-proven strategies. ColorofChange.org works to make the government more responsive to racial disparities. National Cares Mentoring Movement provides social and academic support to help Black youth succeed in college and beyond.