LaMelo Ball just can’t seem to stay away from headlines. One minute he’s getting traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the next minute, he’s starring in an episode of “Where’s My Rent?”
According to court documents, a property management company owned by the family of former NFL quarterback Cam Newton has filed a lawsuit against the NBA star over alleged unpaid rent. Apparently, buckets on the basketball court don’t count as payment in the real world.
The lawsuit was filed by Agape Property Management in Mecklenburg Superior Court in North Carolina. The complaint is actually an extension of earlier allegations involving Jermaine Jackson, LaMelo’s longtime manager. It seems this story has more plot twists than a soap opera.
LaMelo had reportedly been living in a luxury apartment above Chima Steakhouse in uptown Charlotte for the past 5 years. Not a bad place to call home. Imagine finishing dinner downstairs and taking the elevator straight to your living room. That’s living the dream.
The property also has an interesting history. Before Cam Newton’s family business took ownership, the apartments were owned by the former Carolina Panthers quarterback himself. So somehow, this story managed to connect football, basketball, real estate, and steakhouse dining into one giant headline. Impressive!
According to the lawsuit, LaMelo Ball subleased one of the units to Jackson. Ball continued to lease the unit for Jackson after purchasing the one he lived in outright for $2.47 million. However, the lawsuit claims that for almost a year, Jackson failed to pay his rent.
Jackson’s lawyer has claimed in his defense that his client refused to pay an extra $13,500 per month for the apartment when an aquarium in the unit started leaking. Instead, he paid the initial rate of $7,500. In May, Newton’s father, Cecil Newton, appeared in a small Mecklenburg district courtroom with photographs of the leak, which did not demonstrate that the unit was uninhabitable, according to the judge.
Fans couldn’t resist cracking jokes online. Some wondered if LaMelo thought the rent came with an NBA rookie contract discount. Others joked that crossing defenders is easier than crossing off monthly bills.
A judge previously evicted Jackson after Agape Property Management claimed that Jackson owed over $280,000 in overdue rent and HOA compliance costs. The firm is now holding Ball, who has earned over $108 million playing in the NBA, accountable for that money as well.
Hopefully, both sides can sort things out without turning this into a seven-game legal series. Nobody enjoys reading pages of legal paperwork, unless you’re a lawyer billing by the hour.
