“They loved him like a brother, and they’re just as heartbroken, just as much or more than anybody,” said attorney Tyler Cox
NEED TO KNOW
- Attorneys for three of Nolan Wells’ friends are planning lawsuits against people who they say are spreading false claims about their involvement in Wells’ death
- Attorney Tyler Cox said that Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour “do not deserve” the scrutiny they have faced
- Wells’ family has reportedly sent legal notices to Hudson’s family and others indicating they’ll file litigation
An attorney representing three friends who were with Nolan Wells before he vanished from a large July Fourth party in Mississippi says the teens “do not deserve” the scrutiny they have faced in the aftermath of Wells’ death.
Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour — who were with Wells, an 18-year-old college student and athlete, on July 4 — previously joined a fundraiser to help them defend against potential lawsuits and pursue claims of “slander and libel” amid intense online scrutiny and speculation about the case. Now, the teens’ attorneys have told local media that they are planning to pursue defamation lawsuits against people who they say are making slanderous and libelous comments about the trio.
On Friday, Aug. 7, attorneys Tyler Cox and Edward Andrew Paltzik — who represent Hudson, Pitalo and Seymour — traveled to Horn Island, where Wells seems to have vanished in plain sight over a month earlier, as part of their own investigation.
Speaking with the Sun Herald on the island, Cox said, “Those three boys are good Ocean Springs people, and they do not deserve this.”
Credit: Jackson County Sheriff’s Department
“They don’t deserve the credible threats, the physical threats, the in-person threats, online threats to them and their family that they have suffered through for the last 30 days, over 30 days,” Cox told the Mississippi newspaper, “and they had absolutely no involvement with the death of Nolan Wells, their best friend.”
“They loved him like a brother, and they’re just as heartbroken, just as much or more than anybody,” the attorney added of the three friends, who have denied any wrongdoing in connection with Wells’ death — and who have said they’ve been subjected to harassment, threats and hateful messages online.
Meanwhile, Paltzik said that he and Cox are planning lawsuits against two individuals, which he said on Friday would be drafted “damn near immediately.” The attorneys, he told the Sun Herald, “have been working tirelessly to identify the specific offenders who have, as a matter of law, defamed Warren, Jax and Morgan.”
“I can only tell you that they are two individuals who will be very recognizable,” Paltzik said of the targets. “I can tell you at this point we’re talking more about individuals, rather than entities.” Paltzik said he cannot identify the anticipated targets of the lawsuits now due to security, legal and other reasons.
“Starting today, those who wish to continue trafficking in lies about these good Ocean Springs young men will be held accountable to the maximum extent of the law,” the attorneys said in the statement shared with the Sun Herald. “We, on the other hand, will be focused solely on the truth, which is that these innocent young men had nothing whatsoever to do with the tragic death of Nolan Wells.”
The attorneys also said in the statement shared with the Sun Herald that they are “combing through all the disgraceful mainstream media coverage and social media drivel thus far” as part of their own investigation.
“I guarantee you we will find every single defamatory remark made about Warren, Jax and Morgan,” Cox and Paltzik said in the statement. “We will then hold the offenders accountable, big or small, national or local, libel or slander.”
Cox and Paltzik did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment on Sunday, Aug. 9.
Credit: GoFundMe
Wells’ body was found on July 6 after he disappeared from a large gathering on Horn Island two days earlier. Much remains unclear about his final hours alive, and his cause of death has not been confirmed. Authorities initially said they saw no signs of foul play and pointed to potential drowning in an area known for rip currents, but have since stopped commenting publicly.
Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, have said that they want a thorough and transparent investigation, pushing back on the belief that he drowned. Their attorney, Ben Crump, singled out Wells’ White friends in particular, and Wells’ family has reportedly sent legal notices to Hudson’s family and others indicating they’ll file litigation.
“Nolan, we love you. We’ll continue to fight for you,” Christine said at her son’s memorial service at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs, Miss., on July 20, adding, “We will miss everything about him, from his quiet nature to the corny jokes, his gentle smile, the way he made everyone around him feel comfortable. … Your absence has left an emptiness that can never truly be filled, a piece of our hearts will always be missing.”
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The unusual case of Wells’ disappearance has stoked intense discussion locally and on social media, where numerous theories have run rampant.
“In the day before social media was a thing, I would say when there was a defamatory statement, it would spread like a fire, right, like just a good old fire,” Cox told the Sun Herald. “Nowadays, it’s spreading like a fire with accelerant.”
During the investigation into Wells’ death, authorities have also arrested three people on suspicion of sending threats to those connected to Wells’ case, including Hudson’s stepmom Judge Ashlee Cole.
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