Tom Brady’s vast array of business interests include the flaming wreckage of FTX, a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that collapsed in a flurry of criminal and civil charges. Brady and other celebrity endorsers have been sued. Brady eventually authorized his lawyers to execute a waiver of service. One of the defendants has managed to avoid being served the summons and complaint.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that plaintiffs still have not effected service of process on NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
They have tried to serve him at home. They have tried to serve him at the studio. They have reportedly “tossed the legal papers” at his SUV.
They claim O’Neal is dodging process. He denies it.
The plaintiffs requested an opportunity to serve O’Neal by direct message on Twitter and Instagram. The president judge called the request “frivolous,” and he denied it.
Shaq is hard to miss. And it has to be stressful for him to constantly be on the lookout for someone who will be handing him an envelope containing the paperwork that requires him to answer the civil allegations.
It’s hard to imagine in this day and age that the old-school practice of physically delivering the materials is required. Still, the law insists on a clear paper trial that the person actually received the materials, starting the clock for responding -- or risking a finding of default.
The longer Shaq can avoid service of process, the longer he can avoid answering for the underlying allegations.
Later this year, a new book from Michael Lewis will likely shed light on everything related to the rise and fall of FTX. Lewis was there for the good times and bad, and he undoubtedly knows plenty about the things celebrity endorsers like Brady and Shaq knew, and when they knew them.