Three friends who were with Nolan Xavier Wells on the day he went missing are threatening to sue “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin for defamation over her coverage of the case. Attorneys for Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, and Morgan Seymour announced the plan in a scathing Sept. 16 letter that blas ted her “brand” of journalism as “toxic” and “moronic.” They gave the Emmy-winning talk show host ten days to retract statements she made on “The View” or face litigation. Mississippi attorney Tyler Cox and media law attorney Edward Andrew Paltzik accused Hostin of “pure negligence and recklessness” by making false or defamatory statements about their clients on two separate occasions. Nolan Wells pictured with friends in the water (Photo: Taylor and Cox Law Firm via New York Post) Nolan Wells, 18, vanished after partying with friends on the Fourth of July on Horn Island, about 10 miles off the Mississippi Coast. Two days later, rescuers found his body off the island’s northwest tip. An independent autopsy later could not determine how he died, and the official state autopsy remains unreleased. The friends made a similar defamation threat against the Rev. Al Sharpton last month, after he drew national attention to the case. ‘Pretty Unusual’: Suspected Drunk Oklahoma Teen Claims He Hit a Deer, Drives to Mom’s Job Where She Finds Black Woman in His Truck Bed “It is hard to fathom the pure negligence and recklessness you have shown through your multiple interviews regarding these young men and the tragic death of their friend, Nolan Wells,” they wrote in the pre-suit demand letter obtained by the Sun Herald, the New York Post, and other outlets. “Your unwillingness to research the most basic facts surrounding the incident before commenting publicly is downright baffling. Moreover, as a former prosecutor, you of all people should know the importance of ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ You swore an oath with that principle in mind.” The first alleged incident occurred on July 13 during a “Behind the Table” video podcast with executive producer Brian Teta. While displaying a photo of the three friends, Hostin alluded to “a lot of discrepancies” in the case. She said she could not elaborate further because the information came from civil rights attorney Ben Crump, whom Wells’ parents hired to conduct an independent investigation. They also cited a July 14 episode in which Hostin described Wells as the “only black kid on an island full of kids that were white.” Hostin also mentioned Wells’ parents’ claims that he would not have left his cellphone behind. She then called it “extremely odd” that police didn’t take the friends to a station, separate them and interview them individually, though she acknowledged she didn’t know whether they actually did. The attorneys claimed Hostin’s remarks went too far, suggesting the three “were colluding to hide evidence and/or obstruct the efforts to find Nolan at the very least, and that they murdered Nolan at the very worst.” They called that implication “grossly disproved by the truth,” stating that her “refusal to accept the facts that are publicly available constitutes actual malice.” The letter also disputed Hostin’s cellphone commentary, stating the three men never accessed or deleted data from Wells’ phone or hid his keys, and instead “made numerous diligent efforts to increase the probability of locating” him. Despite all the scrutiny, authorities nor Wells’ family’s legal team have not publicly stated whether a phone examination has happened. As of press time, the three friends have raised nearly $200,000 through a GiveSendGo fundraiser for their legal defense. The campaign has accused unnamed “race baiters” of sending “a deranged army after them online in the name of ‘justice.’” Amid the high-profile threats of lawsuits, the most important question remains unanswered: how Wells died. Investigators continue to work the case, and officials have not yet made the state autopsy results public. ‘Downright Baffling’: Nolan Wells’ Friends Slam Sunny Hostin’s So-Called ‘Toxic’ Journalism on ‘The View,’ Threaten Defamation Lawsuit ...read more read less