Trump Media Attorney Joins Legal Team As Wells’ Friends Weigh Action Over Allegedly Defamatory Online Claims
The legal team representing three friends of Nolan Wells is expanding amid mounting online scrutiny surrounding the 18-year-old’s death.
Attorney J. Tyler Cox has brought in defamation lawyer Edward Andrew Paltzik to represent Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour, according to TMZ. Paltzik has previously represented President Donald Trump in legal disputes involving major media organizations, including CBS and Paramount. Court records also show Paltzik has represented Trump in litigation involving the BBC and other media-related matters.
None of the three young men has been charged with a crime in connection with Wells’ death.
Attorneys Signal Possible Action Over Online Claims
The addition of Paltzik appears to sharpen the legal team’s focus on statements circulating online about Hudson, Pitalo and Seymour.
Cox and Paltzik have said they are prepared to pursue legal remedies over statements they contend falsely accuse or implicate the young men in Wells’ death. No defamation lawsuit has been announced.
The attorneys have also said they plan to visit Horn Island, where Wells disappeared during a July 4 boating trip, as part of their own effort to better understand the location and circumstances surrounding the case. They have said the visit is not intended to collect evidence.
Related: Nolan Wells Friends’ Fundraiser Tops $100K, Organizer Blames ‘Race Baiters’ for Upending Their Lives
Wells’ family has continued to seek answers about what happened. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing the family as questions surrounding Wells’ death remain unresolved publicly.
Legal Defense Fund Nears $160,000
The expanded legal team comes as supporters of Hudson, Pitalo and Seymour continue raising money for their legal expenses.
A GiveSendGo campaign organized by Dr. Benjamin Hudson, Warren Hudson’s father, describes the young men as having been unfairly targeted amid the intense attention surrounding the case. Earlier this week, the fundraiser had already collected more than $90,000. The campaign has since reportedly approached $160,000.
The legal fight is not limited to those three friends.
Related: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves Blames Ben Crump and Al Sharpton for Threats in Nolan Wells Case
Bart Edmiston Jr., another friend of Wells, previously sent a cease-and-desist letter to online creator Kymbra Li over allegations that she connected him to Wells’ death and an alleged cover-up. Edmiston has denied those allegations.
The heightened attention surrounding the case has also resulted in a separate criminal case after a California man was accused of sending threatening messages to Judge Ashlee Cole, Warren Hudson’s stepmother, and members of her family.
In a Sun Herald exclusive, Warren Hudson’s father shared audio of threats made against his family, including his wife, Judge Ashlee Cole.
The threats have also drawn political attention. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves previously blamed civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton for escalating tensions surrounding the case, accusing them of “stoking division” as federal authorities investigated threats against public officials, potential witnesses and families connected to the investigation.
Authorities have not publicly presented evidence linking Crump or Sharpton to those threats.
Warren Hudson’s father, Dr. Benjamin Hudson, has also sharply criticized Crump, accusing him of pushing what Hudson called a “false narrative” about his son and the other teens who were with Wells on Horn Island. Hudson has said his family is considering legal action against Crump over statements he believes unfairly implicated the group in Wells’ death.
Authorities have not announced criminal charges against Hudson, Pitalo or Seymour in connection with Wells’ death.
As attorneys on both sides pursue answers and push back against claims they dispute, the circumstances surrounding Wells’ death continue to draw national attention and intense debate online.
