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View Winners → Sports Jun 07, 2022
LaVar Ball in 2018 | Photo courtesy of Janina Fotobank/Wikimedia Commons
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The ongoing litigation between LaVar Ball and his former business partner has taken another turn with the latter now seeking more than $6,500 in fines against Ball and Big Baller Brand for allegedly failing to produce documents and set deposition dates according to a judge’s order.
Attorneys for Alan Foster filed court papers Friday asking that the 54- year-old father of three professional basketball players and his businesses pay $6,662 and be ordered to comply with an April 11 directive from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Monica Bachner regarding the documents and depositions.
“Here we go again,” Foster’s lawyers state in their court papers. “They have outright disobeyed this court’s order and continue to make excuses for their failure to produce the ordered documents.”
Ball and his companies “have even failed to produce simple documents such as corporate documents, and accounting records that are several years old,” the Foster lawyers state in their court papers. “Shockingly, they have even failed to meet and confer on deposition dates.”
Foster needs the documents in order to prepare his case in chief and to defend against the claims brought by Ball, according to Foster’s attorneys’ court papers. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for July 5.
Ball and one of his sons, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, started the litigation by suing Foster in April 2019 for more than $2 million, alleging that Foster conspired to embezzle millions of dollars and then divert those funds for his personal use. The suit also alleges that Foster never informed the Ball family of his criminal past.
Foster countersued in October 2019 for fraudulent concealment and breach of contract, alleging that LaVar Ball embezzled more than $2.6 million from Big Baller Brand and other companies associated with the Ball family, including Ball Sports Group, to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
Foster maintains that he loaned hundreds of thousands of dollars to LaVar Ball, his wife, and Lonzo Ball, including more than $130,000 for Lonzo Ball’s living expenses at UCLA.
Foster’s suit also alleges that he managed an $80,000 sale of Lonzo Ball’s college uniforms and shoes, the proceeds of which went to the down payment on a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon for the NBA player.
Lonzo Ball, 24, then filed an additional complaint against Foster last Nov. 2, alleging Foster caused him to enter into “unnecessary, disadvantageous and excessive loans from non-traditional lenders carrying exorbitant financing fees” that allowed Foster to benefit at the point guard’s expense.
Along with Lonzo Ball, LaVar Ball’s other two sons who play professionally are Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball and Greensboro Swarm shooting guard LiAngelo Ball.
