The families of three men have filed a defamation lawsuit in a Mississippi district court against Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens. The civil complaint, filed Monday, alleges that a September social media post by Owens falsely implicated the men in the death of their friend, Nolan Wells, leading to harassment and threats against them.
The lawsuit was filed by the fathers of Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, and Morgan Seymour, who are considered minors under state law. It centers on an Instagram post from Sept. 26 in which Owens shared a video and suggested the three had tampered with evidence on Wells’s phone following his death. “Arrest them immediately!! Like yesterday,” Owens wrote in the post’s caption.
According to the court filing, the plaintiffs deny these claims. The complaint states that Owens’s post harmed the men’s reputations and endangered their safety. “Due to the conduct of Owens and many other less-famous individuals, these completely innocent young men have been subjected to thousands of death threats, face-to-face harassment, and daily fear and ridicule from complete strangers,” the complaint alleges. The lawsuit also claims the men have been denied service at local businesses as a result of the public attention.
A representative for Owens could not immediately be reached for comment. Counsel for the plaintiffs indicated that they intend to pursue legal action against other public figures who have commented on the case.
The lawsuit follows the death of Nolan Wells in July. Wells was last seen on July 4 during a boating trip with friends to an island off the Mississippi coast. His body was found on the island two days later.
In late September, a Jackson County grand jury reviewed the case and declined to file criminal charges. According to a statement from Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath, the grand jury found that the circumstances of Wells’s death appeared “consistent with drowning.” McIlrath also stated that the investigation found no evidence the death was racially motivated.
The case has drawn significant public and media attention, partly because Wells, who was Black, was with a group of friends who are predominantly white.
The family of Nolan Wells, represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, has publicly disputed the grand jury’s findings and called for further investigation. They cite the state’s autopsy report, which noted that Wells’s airways and stomach contained no water. The family has said this finding is inconsistent with a death by drowning.
At a press conference on Monday, Wells’s mother, Christine Wonsley, commented on the grand jury’s decision. “I cannot take that ruling, and I cannot move on with my life,” Wonsley said. “We have been left with more questions and heartbreak than any answers.”
