Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Against Zion Williamson's Ex-Marketing Agent Denied
Zion Williamson will see his lawsuit against his former marketing agent continue after a motion to dismiss was denied by a federal judge Friday, according to Diamond Leung of The Athletic.
The New Orleans Pelicans star initially sued Prime Sports Marketing, LLC. and its president, Gina Ford, in an attempt to void his contract, according to Allen Kim of CNN. He alleged that he was misled into an agency contract.
Ford and Prime Sports then filed a countersuit against Williamson for breach of contract worth $100 million.
The player's contract reportedly included a clause that it couldn't be terminated for five years, but Williamson tried ending the agreement before he was drafted, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
However, Williamson's lawyer's alleged the agreement was unlawful to begin with due to North Carolina's Uniform Athlete Agents Act because Prime Sports is not certified by the NBPA.
"Mr. Williamson properly exercised his rights under the law to void his business dealings with Prime Sports Marketing. Prime Sports Marketing's continued threats against Mr. Williamson made necessary the filing of this lawsuit," attorney Jeffrey S. Klein said, per Kim.
The Duke product was eventually taken No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA draft, signing a contract that will pay him $20 million over his first two seasons, per Spotrac. He also signed a shoe deal with Jordan Brand reportedly worth $75 million over five years, per Action Network's Darren Rovell.
