Three friends of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells have filed a defamation lawsuit against NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens over an Instagram post about Wells’ death.
The lawsuit shared by Sun Herald centers on a September 26 Instagram video shared by Owens.
The former NFL star suggested that the three friends had deleted evidence from Wells’ phone following his death, according to the complaint. Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour, along with their fathers, are named as plaintiffs in the complaint filed in a Mississippi district court. The young men deny the allegation. The lawsuit claims the post caused serious damage to the three men’s reputations and put their safety at risk. Their lawyers allege that they have faced death threats, harassment and ridicule from strangers since the claims spread online.
Wells’ family and civil rights attorney Ben Crump continue to call for further investigation.
The lawsuit argues that Owens’ post went beyond public discussion of the case and exposed the three young men to serious consequences.
