Three friends of Nolan Wells sue Terrell Owens for defamation over X post

Mixed · 2Three friends of Nolan Wells, a Black college student who went missing from a Mississippi island during a Fourth of July celebration and was later found dead, are suing NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens for defamation. 1 2 Mixed · 2The fathers of the three friends, who are under 21 and considered minors under Mississippi law, filed the federal lawsuit on Monday on their behalf. 1 2 Mixed · 2The suit alleges Owens defamed them by posting on X "ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!!" with a link to an Instagram video that, according to the lawsuit, theorized the three killed Wells and tampered with his phone; the post came days after a Mississippi grand jury declined to recommend charges in Wells' death. 1 2

Left · 1Owens has 1.2 million followers on X and had earlier pledged $25,000 to a reward fund for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Wells' death. 1 Mixed · 2Edward Paltzik, a defamation and media attorney for the three friends, said: "Not only is he defaming them, he's basically saying to the mob, get your pitchforks, get your torches." 1 2 Mixed · 2The friends' lawyers said they intend to file several more defamation claims this week against content creators, and have previously indicated plans to sue the Rev. Al Sharpton and "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin over comments about Wells' death. 1 2

Mixed · 2The Associated Press tried to reach Owens through social media and SMAC Entertainment, which according to its website manages him, but did not immediately receive a response. 1 2 Mixed · 2The three were among 30 friends, including Wells, who rode three boats to Horn Island on the Fourth of July. Wells' friends said he chose to stay behind to talk with a girl rather than return to the mainland, a claim his family has disputed. His body was found two days later off the island's coast. 1 2 Mixed · 2State and independent autopsies have not determined a cause of death, though the grand jury found his death "consistent with drowning." Wells' family and their lawyers dispute that finding, citing unexplained bruising on the back of his head and airways and stomach devoid of water. 1 2

Mixed · 2Images of Wells with white friends on the day he went missing fueled online speculation that race played a role. Two of the plaintiffs were singled out online partly because they appear in a boat photo with Wells and another friend; the third called Wells' mother and the U.S. Coast Guard to report him missing. 1 2