Shaquille O'Neal: Former NBA Star's Legal Woes Not Going Away

Shaquille O'Neal's personal problems are starting to mount up with each passing day and the more that comes out, the worse he looks. 

According to a report from RadarOnline.com, Shaq unsuccessfully tried to get a lawsuit filed by his former girlfriend, Vanessa Lopez, dismissed. She accused him of assault and inflicting emotional distress.

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Shaq tried to get the lawsuit dismissed, but was denied. The court docs obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com state, "Defendant's motion to dismiss count 1 for assault is denied, defendant's motion to dismiss count II for intentional infliction of emotional distress is denied."

The judge did dismiss the invasion of privacy element of the lawsuit.

In the papers, Lopez claims that Shaq's family was in on the intimidation act too, making her fear for her safety. Lopez claims Shaq's 6'6" and 6'8" sisters made verbal and physical threats against her.

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As much as Shaq may want this whole situation to go away, I would imagine that Lopez's lawyers have some solid evidence to use in order to keep this lawsuit going. 

She does not sound like the most stable person in the world, but we can't completely dismiss her testimony in this whole thing. 

Shaq has had his share of legal problems in the past, so there is a possibility that there is more to this story than meets the eye.

He is one of the best personalities in NBA history, but he needs to get his act straight now that he is no longer playing the game. After so many accusations and lawsuits, he will eventually wear out all that goodwill that he has built up with the public. 

This story is not going away anytime soon. Shaq needs to be prepared for a long, drawn out legal battle to try and clear his name.