The fundraiser was started in anticipation of any wrongful death lawsuits and to pursue potential defamation claims against the “online mob”
A fundraising campaign has been launched on behalf of Nolan Xavier Wells’ friends in anticipation of any potential lawsuits lodged against the teens in wake of the 18-year-old’s still unsolved death.
Beyond defensive measures, the father of Wells’ purported best friend, Warren Hudson, said the money would be used to go after those who “falsely and wrongly blamed” Wells’ friends for having any part in how the Mississippi teen’s body was discovered after spending the Fourth of July out on a boat with friends.
Although the case’s circumstances are still being investigated by local officials, Wells’ death quickly attracted national attention and led to rampant speculation as to how a Black teenager in a mostly white friend group mysteriously disappeared and died in the deep South on what was supposed to be a festive day. Wells’ parents have hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump in their bid for answers and have raised more than $800,000 to fund their own independent investigation.
The fundraiser benefiting Wells’ friends specifically named Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour as those who had been allegedly “inundated with death threats, threats of violence, and defamation” after they were either known to be with Wells that day and/or seen with photos with him on a boat.
“This is not about silencing legitimate discussion or respectful disagreement,” Benjamin Hudson wrote on the GiveSendGo platform. “People are free to ask questions and express opinions. This is about drawing a line against defamation, targeted harassment, threats of violence, doxxing, intimidation, and coordinated campaigns that destroy lives before the facts are known.”
A representative for Taylor and Cox Law Firm confirmed to Rolling Stone that they were representing the Hudson family and said the fundraiser was legitimate. As of Monday afternoon, the fund had raised nearly the entirety of its $100,000 goal.