Friends of Nolan Wells Accuse Sharpton of Implying They Were Connected to the Mississippi Teen’s Death, Sharpton Says the Legal Threat Will Not Stop His Push for Answers
Rev. Al Sharpton says threats of a defamation lawsuit will not silence him as questions continue to surround the unexplained death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells.
Attorneys representing Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour have threatened legal action against the civil rights leader, arguing that Sharpton’s public comments about Wells’ death created the impression that the three young men were involved in criminal wrongdoing.
Sharpton’s attorneys have rejected those accusations, calling the threatened lawsuit “meritless” and maintaining that Sharpton never accused the men of committing a crime.
“This is not going to distract us from the question that brought us here: ‘What happened to Nolan Wells?’” Sharpton said in a statement reported by TMZ. “His parents buried their 18-year-old son without knowing how or why he died.”
Sharpton Says Wells’ Family Asked Him to Get Involved
Wells disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip near Horn Island off the Mississippi coast. His body was recovered from the water two days later.
Authorities have not publicly announced a definitive cause or manner of death.
Sharpton said Wells’ parents asked him to join their effort to seek answers about what happened to their son. His involvement has included publicly questioning circumstances surrounding Wells’ disappearance, including what happened to the teen’s phone and keys and what those traveling with him knew before and after he disappeared.
Hudson, Pitalo and Seymour deny wrongdoing.
Their attorneys have argued that Sharpton’s remarks went beyond merely asking questions and suggested the young men could have been connected to crimes involving Wells’ death or the handling of potential evidence.
The men previously demanded an apology, retraction and removal of material related to Sharpton’s statements.
Sharpton’s attorneys say those demands mischaracterize what he actually said.
According to his legal team, Sharpton repeated questions that Wells’ mother had already raised publicly and never directly accused the three men of killing Wells or tampering with evidence. His attorneys also argued that a defamation claim requires an actual defamatory statement and contend that the threatened lawsuit fails to identify one.
Legal Fight Grows Around Unresolved Wells Case
Sharpton has made clear that he does not intend to apologize.
His attorneys have also indicated that if a lawsuit is filed, Sharpton could pursue damages and attorneys’ fees in response.
The legal dispute comes as the broader Wells case continues to generate criminal proceedings unrelated to the threatened defamation lawsuit.
Two people accused of threatening witnesses connected to the Wells investigation appeared in federal court in Mississippi this week.
California resident Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce and Illinois resident Edward James Porter were indicted and are scheduled for separate trials this fall in Gulfport. Both pleaded not guilty to felony charges accusing them of threatening to kill or harm witnesses. Each charge carries a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Mississippi Today reported that two additional out-of-state defendants have also faced accusations involving threats connected to the Wells investigation.
For Sharpton, however, the possibility of another courtroom fight has not changed his central argument: Wells’ family still does not know exactly how the teenager died.
Sharpton said he plans to remain involved until they receive answers.
