|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Days after an unprecedented shoe launch off the court and perhaps his finest weekend on the court, LeBron James now faces his first serious trouble in court.
Joe Marsh, a wealthy entertainment promoter, is suing Akron's 18-year-old basketball
prodigy for more than $15 million, claiming that James backed out of several
promises he made to Marsh.
ADVERTISEMENT
Marsh declined to elaborate beyond the lawsuit, which names LeBron James as the only defendant.
"LeBron's the only one who can fill in the pieces," Marsh said. "You
can say it wasn't a commitment, but I say... it was."
Marsh, who has risen from local bar owner to manager of some of the world's
most famous entertainers, including David Copperfield, as well as owner of the
Titanic wreck, said it's not about the money.
"All you have to do is live up to your commitments," he said.
Monday's suit is the second Marsh has filed against James' family. In October,
he sued Gloria James and Eddie Jackson (James' father figure, who is serving
federal prison time for fraud) to get back the $100,000 Marsh gave them at the
start of James' junior year in high school.
Monday's lawsuit goes beyond the loan and delves into what promises were made
by and on behalf of James while the teen-ager was at Akron's St. Vincent-St.
Mary High School. Marsh's lawyers have filed to have the two suits consolidated
before Summit Common Pleas Judge Brenda Burnham Unruh.
According to the lawsuit, those broken promises were:
• A documentary on James' life, which would have been similar to Michael
Jordan's To the Max.
• A place in LeBron's inner circle that would have allowed Marsh to represent
him on soft drink deals.
Marsh wants $10 million for the failed documentary and $5 million for the lost
opportunities. He also is seeking additional punitive damages.
"He didn't answer the last lawsuit," Marsh said. "Maybe he'll
answer this one."
Back To Index Page