Frank Ocean’s Dad Is Suing Him for $14.5 Million Over Gay Slur Claim
Frank Ocean’s father has filed a hefty lawsuit against him.
According to TMZ, Calvin Cooksey is suing his son for defamation over a message posted on Ocean’s Tumblr page last summer. The note was the singer’s response to the deadly attack on Pulse nightclub, an Orlando LGBT venue where 49 people were killed.
Ocean wrote: “I was 6 years old when I heard my dad call our transgender waitress a f****t as he dragged me out of a neighborhood diner saying we wouldn’t be served because she was dirty. That was the last afternoon I saw my father and the first time I heard that word, I think, although it wouldn’t shock me if it wasn’t.”
Cooksey insists the incident never occurred, and claims the story has cost him business opportunities in film and music. He is now seeking $14.5 million in damages. It’s a pretty large figure, but nowhere near the amount Cooksey sought from hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.
According to TMZ, Cooksey sued Simmons for $142 million in 2014 over alleged lies published on Global Grind. Ocean’s dad claimed the online publication portrayed him as an unfit father and that the allegations hurt his future income.
