- Former basketball star turned FTX promoter Shaquille O’Neal has argued that he was not properly served in the FTX class action lawsuit
- O’Neal argues that the papers were “tossed” at his car, which doesn’t constitute service
- His part in the case will be over if the judge agrees
Former basketball star turned FTX promoter Shaquille O’Neal has argued that the papers supposedly served on him last month over his involvement in the collapsed exchange were served improperly and therefore were invalid. O’Neal, who managed to avoid being served the papers in the class action lawsuit for weeks, has offered a different version of events than the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, saying that they were “tossed” at his moving car and ended up on the floor rather than in his possession. O’Neal is one of a handful of celebrities who promoted FTX and have since been sued over their participation.
O’Neal Avoided Service for Three Months
The lawsuit against the clutch of celebrities, including Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Steph Curry, and Larry David, was filed by FTX customer Edwin Garrison in November of last year. While the other celebrities were successfully served, O’Neal managed to avoid service, despite his frequent appearances on TV and as a DJ under the name “DJ Diesel”.
In an attempt to locate O’Neal before a deadline, lawyers requested the court’s permission to serve him through social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and email, but their request was denied. The personal approach was yet again attempted, with Garrision’s lawyer Adam Moskowitz finally claiming to have served O’Neal in mid-April:
The good news is his home video cameras recorded our service, and we have made it very clear he is not to destroy and/or erase any of these security tapes because they must be preserved for our lawsuit.
However, O’Neal’s legal team has a different version of events. They claim that Moskowitz “tossed” the documents at the hood of O’Neal’s moving car and that they eventually landed in the road. This “inadequate” summons, they said, should be enough to dismiss the case against him.
Cases can get dismissed over a lack of adequate service, and it will now be up to the judge to decide whether O’Neal was properly served before the deadline or not and therefore if he will face charges.
