LaVar Ball has rarely taken any losses lately and has been relatively silent since two of his sons made it to the NBA. However, the “Big Baller” recently lost in court for the clothing brand of the same name.
One of LaVar’s former business partners won a round against the outspoken father for almost $1900 for not submitting the paperwork to him as ordered by the court. The Ball family patriarch was fined on Tuesday by a Los Angeles area judge alleging he failed to produce documents and set deposition dates per a court order.
Judge Monica Bachner of the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that Big Baller Brand will have to pay $1,862 to Alan Foster in compliance with the directive handed down by the judge on April 11. The 53-year-old had to send the required documents and depositions within ten days and failed to do so.
LaVar Ball has been sued by his ex-business partner Alan Foster, per @TheBlastNews
Alan Foster is accusing Lavar Ball of embezzling over $2.5M from the family-owned companies and ‘exploiting his own children for personal wealth and fame’
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 3, 2019
The attorneys for Foster filed a motion seeking the fine and compliance on June 3.
“Here we go again,” Foster’s lawyers reportedly stated in the court papers. “They (Big Baller Brand) have outright disobeyed this court’s order and continue to make excuses for their failure to produce the ordered documents.
“[LaVar Ball and his companies] have even failed to produce simple documents such as corporate documents and accounting records that are several years old,” the court papers continued. “Shockingly, they have even failed to meet and confer on deposition dates.”
However, on the bright side, Ball didn’t receive a heftier fine as Foster was seeking $6,662. Foster relented, and ultimately, the two sides agreed on the ruling without controversy.
LaVar Ball unveils new luxury Big Baller Brand lifestyle shoes. Prices range from $695 to $895 🤔 pic.twitter.com/qLCbCE0w45
— B/R Kicks (@brkicks) October 12, 2021
LaVar and Lonzo Ball opened the litigation when they first sued Foster in April 2019 for more than $2 million. The two alleged that Foster conspired to embezzle millions of dollars and redirect the funds for personal use. Additionally, the Balls alleged that Foster never informed the Ball family of his criminal past.
Then Foster countersued in October 2019 for fraudulent concealment and breach of contract. He alleged that LaVar embezzled over $2.6 million from Big Baller Brand and other affiliated Ball companies to finance a lavish lifestyle.
The once prospering lifestyle brand was the outfitter of the Ball movement that took the world by storm through Ball’s savvy leveraging of his polarizing media presence. The elder Ball’s crusade to get all of his sons in the NBA also led to the lowered profile of BBB. Each of his children began to flourish outside of the nest, and the quality of the products, especially the shoes, would not pass the NBA smell test.
"If I own a restaurant, and my own kids and family won't eat there, how the hell am I supposed to get other people to come? Your son said the shoe was terrible and had to change a pair every quarter! Skip, I'm confused."@ShannonSharpe on LaVar Ball relaunching Big Baller Brand pic.twitter.com/FlGDgrQVe8
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 20, 2020
During Lonzo Ball’s summer league debut in 2017, he had to swap out his ZO2 shoes because, in his words, they “would just rip,” the young star said on former teammate Josh Hart’s podcast.
Still, Lonzo was a team player for his family, wearing the shoes during his first seasons as a Laker. Eventually, Lonzo and the rising LaMelo left the family’s lifestyle brand as their stock rose in the league.
LaVar Ball might be muted and has taken a minor “L,” but his prediction that his sons would all be basketball pros and own the basketball father lane is just another footnote in the journey of the “Big Baller.”
