Pelicans' Zion Williamson Granted Stay in Florida Lawsuit Brought by Gina Ford

A judge granted New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson a stay in the lawsuit filed by Gina Ford, according to The Athletic's Daniel Wallach.

In June 2019, Williamson filed suit against Ford and Prime Sports Marketing in the hope of voiding a contract he signed with the company. Ford countersued shortly thereafter and claimed as part of her suit the former Duke star received impermissible benefits in college.

Williamson contended in his suit his contract with Prime Sports "did not contain notice that he would lose his college eligibility upon signing, and did not contain a disclaimer allowing him 14 days to cancel," per the Associated Press.

Creative Artists Agency announced in May 2019 it had signed the 19-year-old ahead of the NBA draft:

In their countersuit, Ford and Prime Sports are looking to collect $100 million in punitive damages, claiming they had a valid deal in place with Williamson in April 2019.

Through the legal action, Sports Illustrated's Michael McCann said Ford wanted to portray "Williamson and CAA conspiring to steal her work and brazenly breach a contract that Williamson had willingly signed."

Raising the issue of impermissible benefits would also potentially retroactively alter Williamson's status as a student-athlete at Duke, per Wallach:

Earlier this month, a judge in Florida's Florida 11th Circuit Court denied a request from Williamson, which would've compelled him to answer questions from attorneys representing Ford and Prime Sports. His attorneys filed an appeal with the state's 3rd District Court of Appeal, which resulted in Wednesday's judgment.

The countersuit underscored how much money is at play for Williamson in terms of endorsements independent of the money he'll earn from NBA contracts.

He signed his first shoe deal with Jordan Brand that will be worth more than $10 million a year, per ESPN's Nick DePaula. Forbes' Kurt Badenhausen reported he also agreed to a deal with Gatorade that "is expected to net seven figures annually under the pact."