Three friends of Nolan Wells are taking a TikTok creator to court after allegedly being branded as the people responsible for the teenager’s death.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour filed a defamation lawsuit Tuesday in Mississippi against Sandra L. Butler, who allegedly operates the TikTok account “gods_bestgirl” and identifies herself online as “Royalty.”
The three men claim Butler repeatedly accused them of killing Wells during a July 4 boating trip, allegedly saying they fled the scene, tampered with Wells’ phone and lied to cover up what happened.
The lawsuit alleges Butler told her followers, “They are guilty. They did something,” and later claimed one of the men picked Wells up and slammed him onto the boat.
Hudson, Pitalo and Seymour deny any involvement in Wells’ death. According to the lawsuit, they say Wells was their close friend.
Wells disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip near Mississippi’s Horn Island. His body was found floating in the water two days later.
A Jackson County grand jury subsequently returned a “no true bill,” meaning prosecutors did not obtain an indictment and no criminal charges were filed in connection with Wells’ death. The grand jury concluded that the circumstances were consistent with drowning, while the official manner of death remained undetermined.
The lawsuit says the investigation was extensive, involving 132 subpoenas and testimony from 43 witnesses.
But according to the plaintiffs, the grand jury decision did not stop Butler from continuing to post about them.
They allege Butler later characterized their account of events as “a story to cover their tracks” and claimed someone had accessed Wells’ phone and deleted information from it.
The three friends are seeking damages in the defamation case. They are also asking for an injunction that would prevent Butler from posting about them, contacting them or disclosing their private information.
The allegations against Butler are claims made in the lawsuit and have not been established as facts. The case now moves the dispute from social media into court, where the plaintiffs will seek to hold Butler legally responsible for the statements they say damaged their reputations.
