Attorneys Say They Will Sue Rev. Al Sharpton for Defamation Following His Remarks on Nolan Wells' Death — He Says, Bring It On
Rev. Al Sharpton welcomed a potential defamation lawsuit from three of Nolan Wells' friends.
Aug. 22 2026, Updated 2:55 p.m. ET
Rev. Al Sharpton faces a potential defamation lawsuit after attorneys for three of Nolan Wells' friends accused the civil rights leader of making false statements about their clients in connection with the teenager's mysterious death, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Rather than back down, Sharpton welcomed the legal and insisted that a lawsuit could help get to the truth.
Rev. Al Sharpton Questioned 'Three White Kids'
Attorneys for Morgan Seymour, Jax Pitalo, and Warren Hudson threatened to sue Rev. Al Sharpton.
"I welcome the lawsuit," Sharpton said, per CNN, after attorneys J. Tyler Cox and Edward Paltzik sent a 19-page presuit demand letter on behalf of Morgan Seymour, Jax Pitalo, and Warren Hudson.
The attorneys claim Sharpton repeatedly suggested the three young men could have been involved in Wells' death, including during an August 13 appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists conference.
"I don't know what happened. But I got your history of Mississippi," Sharpton said at the event. "And the history tells me: Black boy (who) goes out with three White kids. Three White kids come back. There's a blurred story on what happened."
"Some of this don't make sense given (Mississippi's) history," he added.
Friends Accused of Hiding Evidence
Attorneys accused Rev. Al Sharpton of implying that Nolan Wells' friends were involved in his death.
The legal threat also centers on Sharpton's questions about Wells' cellphone and keys.
During a July 14 appearance on TMZ, Sharpton questioned why Wells would leave his phone behind and said one friend initially denied having the phone and keys.
He also claimed the phone's contents had been erased.
"That's too many unanswered questions for us not to say that something is amiss here," Sharpton said.
At an August 19 online vigil for what would have been Wells' 19th birthday, Sharpton again raised questions about what the friends allegedly knew.
"What the friends knew, when they knew it, why they didn't hand over the cellphone over right away when it was clear he was not back with them, the keys, all of that needs to be litigated," he said.
The attorneys said those comments falsely implied that Seymour, Pitalo, and Hudson were involved in Wells' death, withheld or altered his phone, concealed his keys, or obstructed the investigation.
"Warren, Jax, and Morgan are completely innocent of any wrongdoing with respect to the death of Nolan Wells," the attorneys wrote.
They also claimed none of the three friends ever possessed, accessed, or erased data from Wells’ phone.
Attorneys Demand an Apology
Attorneys demanded that Rev. Al Sharpton retract and delete statements they called defamatory.
The attorneys demanded that Sharpton apologize, retract, and delete the statements they described as defamatory.
They gave him 10 days to comply, warning that litigation would become necessary if he refused.
The letter provides a different account of what happened to Wells' belongings.
According to the attorneys, the teenager's phone was on one of the boats before later ending up in another person's car.
Wells’ keys had reportedly been left in Pitalo's bedroom and were eventually turned over to Wells' stepfather, the attorneys said.
Wells, 18, died during a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island off the Mississippi coast. His cause of death is still undetermined.
'I Want Them To Sue Me First'
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Rev. Al Sharpton said a lawsuit could help uncover the truth about Nolan Wells' death.
Sharpton had already made it clear that he's not afraid of a potential lawsuit.
"I want them to sue me first," he said at the August 13 conference. "I want to depose your son. If you sue, the plaintiffs are deposed."
Now, the attorneys have answered that challenge.
"You asked for it, and now you got it," they wrote in the demand letter.
Sharpton said he would have his attorneys contact the friends' lawyers so they could serve him and take the dispute to court.
"I have been involved in the case for one sole reason: To help Nolan's parents Christine and Elmore find the truth in what happened to their beloved son through a transparent and accountable investigation," he said.
"If a lawsuit is a catalyst for the truth, then it is welcomed," Sharpton added, in part.
