Shaquille O’Neal sued for breach of contract in business deal
LOS ANGELES – Shaquille O’Neal and his Jersey Legends Productions company strung along the former Lakers center’s longtime acquaintance with a legally binding verbal agreement of a partnership promise and a cut of profits, but paid him nothing, according to a breach-of-contract suit filed on Wednesday by a producer/writer.
The Los Angeles Superior Court complaint was filed against O’Neal, his business partner Michael Parris and Jersey Legend Productions by plaintiff Donnie Wilson, who also alleges numerous violations of the state Labor Code. O’Neal and Parris co-founded and owned Jersey Legends Productions. O’Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey.
Shaquille O’Neal, the former Lakers center, has been sued for breach of contract. FILE PHOTO
“Shaquille O’Neal certainly can come across as everyone’s best friend, just a big jovial guy – apparently until he owes you money,” plaintiff’s attorney Ronald Zambrano said.
“He hid from attorneys for months trying to serve him in a class-action lawsuit over the bankrupt FTX crypto exchange and his endorsements of the company and now he’s basically doing the same with Mr. Wilson, hiding from his financial obligations. It’s just shameful behavior by a celebrity of his status.”
A representative for the 51-year-old O’Neal could not be immediately reached.
“This whole ordeal has left me reeling,” Wilson said in a statement. “It’s been a breach of trust that has shattered my faith in fairness.
Beyond the money owed, it’s the personal aspect that cuts the deepest. Being considered family by Shaquille‘s loved ones, particularly Michael Parris’ family, makes this betrayal feel like a sharp slap in the face. I feel deeply
disappointed and let down.”
Wilson says he first worked for O’Neal from 1996-2006 as his community relations director before stepping down to focus on writing stage plays, and it was during this time that he met Parris.
In May 2019, Parris asked Wilson to work for Jersey Legends due to Wilson’s knowledge of the entertainment industry and playwriting, scriptwriting, television and screen writing skills, according to the suit.
Wilson was uncertain whether Parris would act as promised based on past behavior, but went forward by saying he wanted to be a partner with an 18% ownership interest in Jersey Legends, a condition to which Parris gave his
verbal commitment, the suit states.
Wilson expected to be involved in collaborations and creative decisions within the company, but was never brought in to participate and instead was given side projects to work on by Parris outside of Jersey Legends, including once working on an HBO project completely unaffiliated with the company, the suit states.
Throughout his employment, Wilson reminded O’Neal and Parris of the partnership promise and lack of any agreement in writing, as well as his failure to be fully compensated, the suit states.
Wilson was finally presented with a written contract that he signed confirming his partnership status with Jersey Legends in late 2022, but O’Neal and Parris never gave their signatures, saying the company was in debt,
according to the lawsuit.
Last March, Wilson was told that Jersey Legends was acquired by Authentic Brands Group, but the plaintiff still viewed himself as an employee and he was never fired, according to the suit, which further states that he
believes he was “duped with false representations and lies” in order to defraud him.
