Shaquille O’Neal is everywhere.
The NBA Hall of Famer sees countless TV commercials and endorsements on a daily basis, and is a mainstay of TNT’s NBA coverage throughout the season. It’s hard to miss him.
But O’Neal has apparently been dodging the attorneys representing FTX investors for months.
“In 30 years I’ve never had to deal with this situation,” Adam Moskowitz, an attorney representing FTX investors, said of the Wall Street Journal. “We’re not going away.”
O’Neal is one of several celebrities and athletes named in a proposed class action lawsuit filed by FTX investors following the cryptocurrency company’s collapse. O’Neal has appeared in commercials promoting the company, along with Tom Brady and his ex-wife Gisele Bundchen, comedian Larry David, tennis star Naomi Osaka and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, among others. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested in January and charged with wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering and more.
However, when it comes to O’Neal, the lawyers don’t seem to be able to help him properly – something that is generally required to start a lawsuit.
Shaquille O’Neal was one of several celebrities who endorsed FTX before it collapsed. (Jerome Miron/USA Today)
According to the Wall Street Journal, the plaintiffs’ attorneys have repeatedly attempted to serve O’Neal at both his home and the TNT studio, but have failed. At one point, they said they “threw the papers at his speedy SUV.”
However, O’Neal claims he simply “drived past the strangers lurking outside his house” and insists he doesn’t avoid anyone.
Lawyers filed documents in court describing how they attempted to serve O’Neal in his numerous homes and even his former wife’s home. They asked a judge if they could serve O’Neal via direct messages on social media, but was turned down. They even tweeted about him last month.
O’Neal’s legal team disputes these claims and has even asked a judge to dismiss the case against him – which was denied on Monday.
“Mr. O’Neal did not evade service by not staying at the homes where plaintiffs were late attempting service or by driving past strangers who approached his car,” the attorneys wrote via the Wall Street Journal, “The court should reverse service and dismiss the claims against him.”
O’Neal is one of the most recognizable figures in the basketball world. He will also be part of TNT’s coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals, which begins Wednesday night.
While he’s done a great job of avoiding being properly served on the lawsuit against him, he probably won’t be able to hide from it forever.
