Zion Williamson Files for Protective Order Against Claim He Received Impermissible Benefits at Duke
By Jerry Trotta
About two weeks ago, Gina Ford, the former agent of New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson, filed a lawsuit against him claiming that he received illegal benefits to attend Duke.
Per Daniel Wallach of The Athletic, the former Blue Devil filed for a protective order against the accusations, which he coined both "invasive" and "irrelevant." Should the motion be granted, Ford's inquiry would be blocked.
NEW: My analysis of Zion Williamson’s latest court filing which seeks a stay of discovery and protective order to bar any inquiry into his eligibility at Duke and whether he was paid to play. The key issue is “relevancy.” I break it all down for you. https://t.co/strmJ6qfM0
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) May 28, 2020
In the lawsuit, the Prime Sports Marketing agent is asking Williamson to admit that he accepted "money, benefits, favors or things of value" to play for the Blue Devils. The admission request also includes the 19-year-old superstar to concede that he knew his mother, Sharonda Sampson, and stepfather, Lee Anderson, "received gifts and economic benefits from persons acting on behalf of Duke university" that persuaded him to attend the ACC school.
BREAKING: Zion Williamson files for protective order against ‘invasive' and 'irrelevant' discovery requests, seeks court order to block Gina Ford’s inquiry into past eligibility at Duke and whether he received any improper economic benefits. pic.twitter.com/7GM4Hppyp7
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) May 28, 2020
It goes without saying that these are damning accusations, and that's precisely what makes this development so significant. A judge passing Zion's protective order would mean that Ford's legal team wouldn't be able to see to it that him, his family members, and potentially Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski to be questioned in court.
This conflict between Ford and Williamson is far from resolved, so stay tuned for updates.