Nolan Wells update: Fresh allegations emerge as dad of teen’s best friend plans to sue Ben Crump over ‘exploitation’
The father of one of Nolan Wells’ closest friends has publicly criticized civil rights attorney Ben Crump, accusing him of using the 18-year-old’s death for financial and political reasons. The comments come weeks after Wells was found dead near Mississippi’s Horn Island following a Fourth of July boat trip.
Ben Hudson, whose 19-year-old son Warren Hudson was with Wells before he disappeared, also said his family plans to sue Crump for defamation and slander over statements made after the tragedy.
Crump has rejected those claims, saying his only focus is finding the truth. The case remains under investigation, and no criminal charges have been announced.
Ben Hudson plans lawsuit against Ben Crump
Speaking to The New York Post, Ben Hudson said he believes Crump has wrongly blamed his son and the other young men who were with Wells on the island.
“In my opinion, truth is not Ben Crump’s concern. He’s exploiting the situation and raising money,” Hudson said. “I think this is financially exploiting this entire tragedy and making it a much bigger tragedy at the expense of my family and our community and the Wells family.”
Hudson said his family intends to file a defamation and slander lawsuit against Crump.
“In my opinion, Ben Crump has slandered and falsely accused my son and his friends of murder and he’s pursued what’s an obvious false narrative,” he said. “I think he can expect lawsuits not just from my family but from a number of other families who, in my opinion, he’s defamed.”
Also Read: Nolan Wells update: Ben Crump reveals ‘new evidence review’ as family seeks answers at press conference; details
Ben Hudson criticizes Rev. Al Sharpton
Hudson also criticized Rev. Al Sharpton and said the involvement of Sharpton’s National Action Network had turned attention away from the family’s grief.
“Sharpton’s involvement is 100% correlated with the fact that we have midterm elections coming up,” Hudson said. “My family, the Wells-Wonsley family, and the families of all these other kids are being used by people like Al Sharpton and Ben Crump and news outlets as political pawns to win some kind of political favor for the midterms.”
He also claimed his family has received thousands of death threats and hateful messages since Wells’ death. According to Hudson, his wife, son and he were also sent letters from attorney Gary Bufkin on the day of Wells’ funeral, instructing them to preserve possible evidence because litigation was “reasonably anticipated.”
Also Read: Nolan Wells update: Why new subpoenas were issued to several social media companies and a location-tracking app
Ben Crump, Rev. Al Sharpton respond
Responding at a press conference in Nashville, Crump dismissed Hudson’s planned lawsuit.
“It’s a distraction, we’re not distracted by it at all,” Crump said. “It’s about getting to the truth, that’s what we want and that’s what we’re focused on. We haven’t done anything other than ask questions to get to the truth.”
Sharpton also denied turning Wells’ funeral into a political event.
“I don’t see how I turned the funeral into a political rally. We never discussed politics,” he said. He also rejected claims that the reward announced at the funeral was a “bounty,” calling that description “an overreach, at best,” and added, “I don’t understand the connection with the midterm elections, that’s absurd, one has nothing to do with the other.”