Frank Ocean is asking the court to dismiss his father’s defamation case.
Back in February, it was revealed that Frank Ocean’s father, Calvin Cooksey, was suing him for libel. The lawsuit stemmed from a 2016 Tumblr post, where Ocean revealed that as a young child he once witnessed his father call a transgender waitress a “f*ggot.”
Ocean’s essay read, “I was six years old when I heard my dad call our transgender waitress a faggot as he dragged me out 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 denied the allegations and says they have “damaged his financial opportunities in film and music.” Cooksey also believes that Ocean made the claims to promote his then new album, “Blonde.” He is seeking $14.5 million in damages.
Now, months later, Ocean has finally decided to respond to his father’s hefty lawsuit. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the “Lens” singer wants the case dismissed.
Apparently, Ocean wrote the Tumblr post in the wake of the tragic Orlando shooting, and reflects actual events. He also says his essay “speaks for itself”, and rebuttals to it are “statements of opinion, and thus not the proper subjects of a libel claim.”
Ocean is asking that his father cover all of his legal fees.
Stay tuned for updates…
