How long can a man who is 7’1″ hide?
Shaquille O’Neal, a National Basketball Association (NBA) legend and Hall of Famer, was reportedly hiding out in his mansion to avoid being served with a class-action lawsuit filed against him and other FTX cryptocurrency brand ambassadors.
There were numerous celebrities, including the NBA player, who promoted the cryptocurrency, encouraging investors to invest millions of dollars that they would later lose.
Edwin Garrison, one of the investors, filed a lawsuit against O’Neal and several other celebrities, including Steph Curry, Gisele Bundchen, Larry David, Tom Brady, and Naomi Osaka.
Garrison claimed in the lawsuit that he had lost everything in his cryptocurrency account when FTX went bankrupt. He stated that he had only invested due to the endorsements of the famous spokespersons.
The legal team for Garrison asserts that, with the exception of O’Neal, all of the famous people named in the lawsuit have been served. Individuals have observed that O’Neal has avoided attorneys and have noted that the allegations made against him in the lawsuit are quite significant.
Adam Moskowitz, Garrison’s attorney, expressed “amazement” in an interview with Forbes media regarding O’Neal’s efforts to avoid being served with the complaint. Moskowitz asserts that the basketball legend acknowledged that the evidence presented against him was the most compelling of any FTX brand ambassador.
On Tuesday, March 7, the attorneys sent an email to the defendants, singling out O’Neal for his evasion tactics and stating that he was the only one who had chosen to avoid being served, possibly to prolong the proceedings or to avoid responding to the accusations.
Last year, the NBA star was one of the media personalities advocating for FTX, and he hosted a Super Bowl party in Los Angeles with the cryptocurrency company.
In June of last year, the celebrity made an official FTX ambassador appearance and advocated for the brand online, particularly on Twitter. His commercial appearances enticed many individuals to join what was billed as the world’s premier cryptocurrency exchange.
On November 11, following CEO Sam Bankman’s declaration of bankruptcy, FTX’s brief existence came to an end. As of December, he was in custody on charges of fraud for allegedly defrauding investors of billions of dollars.
O’Neal has been attempting to distance himself from FTX by claiming he was merely a hired spokesperson. The attorneys assert that the 7’1″ man avoided the process servers who were knocking on his door.
The deadline for the defendants to file a response to the lawsuit is April 14.
Shaq has now shown up! He tweeted on March 19 from his hospital bed after having hip replacement surgery.
