Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal thinks the lawsuit filed against him by former longtime associate Donnie Wilson is without merit, and the NBA star is requesting it to be tossed out because it was filed incorrectly in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Wilson claims that he is owed money and has leveled accusations of deceptive practices against the former NBA star and his business partner, Michael Parris. Wilson worked as head of creative at Jersey Legends, an entertainment production company owed by Shaq and Parris. Wilson said he contributed to the company’s projects, including the 2022 Oscar-winning film “Queen of Basketball.” Despite his contributions for winning Best Documentary Short Subject at the 2022 Academy Awards, he claims he was not compensated for the work done at Jersey Legends.
Inside the Lawsuit
The lawsuit was filed in January in California, which, according to Shaq, does not make sense considering that he lives in Georgia, where the suit should have been filed, Radar reported.
The Radar exclusive does not indicate when Shaq responded to the suit, however, the story was published on Feb. 26.
“I moved to the State of Georgia prior to 2017 and have made my home there ever since,” he told the court.
Parris lives in Virginia, and Shaq said Jersey Legends is a Delaware-based limited liability company.
Between 1996 and 2006, Wilson worked for Shaq, and in 2019, Parris recruited him for a movie production role as a creative head, citing his skills in the entertainment industry.
Wilson claims he was promised an 18 percent ownership interest in Jersey Legends and a partnership role.
“So, Plaintiff agreed to work only if he can do so as an official partner with an 18% ownership interest in Jersey Legends. Parris made the verbal agreement with Wilson promising to make Wilson a partner in exchange for his services and knowledge,” lawsuit reads.
“[Wilson], based on his previous 10-year experience with Parris, was wary of whether Parris would actually deliver on his promises . . . based on past behavior, but took another leap of faith due to the close relationship and the promise to elevate Plaintiff as part owner in the hope Parris would operate honestly.”
Wilson’s lawyer, Ron Zambrano, issued a statement, referring to Shaq alleged months-long evasion of service in the FTX class-action lawsuit.
“Shaquille O’Neal certainly can come across as everyone’s best friend, just a big jovial guy — apparently until he owes you money. He hid from attorneys for months trying to serve him in a class-action lawsuit over the bankrupt FTX crypto exchange and his endorsements of the company and now he’s basically doing the same with Mr. Wilson, hiding from his financial obligations,” Zambrano said in Janurary. “It’s just shameful behavior by a celebrity of his status.”
As Finurah reported, Shaq, alongside others like Naomi Osaka, profited from promoting the failed and controversial cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
