Rev. Al Sharpton is pushing back against a defamation lawsuit threat from three young men who were with 18-year-old Nolan Wells before he disappeared on July 4.
Attorneys for Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour sent Sharpton an August 21 demand letter, BIN reported, accusing him of implying the men were involved in serious crimes, including murder, hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence.
The attorneys cited comments Sharpton made during a July 14 TMZ interview and an August 19 virtual vigil honoring what would have been his 19th birthday. They pointed to Sharpton’s questions about Wells’ cellphone and keys and why the three men had not come forward with more information.
During the August 19 vigil, Sharpton acknowledged that one of the young men who was with Wells on Horn Island was on the call and urged him to “step forward.”
The attorneys demanded that Sharpton retract and apologize for his statements.
In a 15-page letter dated August 31, Sharpton’s attorneys rejected the demands and called the claims “meritless,” according to the Sun Herald. They argued that Sharpton never accused the three men of murder or any other crime.
“There is a legal remedy for defamation,” the attorneys wrote, “but it requires a defamatory statement,” arguing that the demand letter does not identify one.
“The threatened claims suffer from several basic defects,” the response said, arguing that the claims rely on statements Sharpton did not make and interpretations provided by the three men’s attorneys.
The response also said the letter asks Sharpton to apologize for questioning how Wells died, retract questions Wells’ mother had previously raised publicly and delete the August 19 prayer vigil.
Sharpton has previously said he “welcomes” the lawsuit.
“This is not going to distract us from the question that brought us here: What happened to Nolan Wells?” Sharpton said. “His parents buried their 18-year-old son without knowing how or why he died. They asked me to stand with them, and I will continue to stand with them until they get the answers they deserve.”
The official state autopsy has been completed, but its findings have not been publicly released.
No one has been charged in connection with Nolan’s death, and the investigation into Wells’ death remains active and ongoing.
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