There has been a new development in the legal case between Zion Williamson and his former marketing agent, Gina Ford.
In 2019, Williamson filed a lawsuit in North Carolina against Ford, alleging that his marketing agreement with her company, Prime Sports Marketing, was invalid under the Uniform Athlete Agent Act. Ford is not a registered agent in North Carolina and therefore, Williamson’s team believes a contract Williamson signed with her in North Carolina would be void.
Ford filed a suit in Florida saying that Williamson is not protected under the Uniform Athlete Agent Act because he took improper benefits while at Duke, which would make him an ineligible player according to NCAA rules.
Earlier this month, a Florida 11th Circuit Court judge ruled that Williamson would have to give discovery, and therefore answer questions about his eligibility.
Williamson’s legal team filed an appeal and was granted a stay on Wednesday.
BREAKING: Zion Williamson is granted a full stay of the Florida lawsuit brought by Gina Ford. The 3rd DCA’s Order states that “the trial court’s proceedings are hereby stayed.” This means that he will not have to answer Ford’s discovery requests – for now – as venue shifts to NC. pic.twitter.com/oGhAf7IngS
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) June 17, 2020
The court said that the originally filed lawsuit in North Carolina will be handled first before they enter discovery on the case in Florida. Legal analyst Daniel Wallach has previously said he does not think Williamson will have to face discovery about his eligibility. This ruling helps support that idea.
Williamson, who became the No. 1 pick by the New Orleans Pelicans, broke his contract with Prime Sports Marketing to sign with Creative Artists Agency.
