The opposing attorney in Antonio Brown’s property damage lawsuit has filed a 35-page motion requesting sanctions against the receiver for “tumultuous tirades,” “profane language,” and “defiant rants,” during a recent deposition.
According to Yahoo Sports:
The allegations were detailed in a motion filed by the opposing attorney this week, in the midst of a civil lawsuit against Brown for allegedly causing nearly $100,000 in damages to a luxury high-rise condo rental that Brown inhabited into early 2018. After eight months of legal jabbing between Brown and the owner of the unit, the wideout finally sat for a court-ordered deposition on Sept. 24. According to the opposing attorney, Brown wrecked the proceedings with a litany of “reprehensible behavior”. The lawyer now wants the judge in the case to order a new deposition, with the inclusion of a court-appointed special master who would oversee the proceedings and hold Brown accountable for any actions taken during the session.
Brown’s attorney, Darren Heitner, is preparing a response to the request for sanctions.
The motion, filed by Attorney George Minski, accuses Brown of the following disruptions:
- Arrived nearly 30 minutes late to the deposition.
- Acted “belligerent and pugnacious, refusing to answer the most routine of questions, despite there being no objection to the questioning coming from his counsel.”
- “[C]hanted, over and over, as if a mantra, a narrative of his own warped concept of the proceeding”.
- “Acting as if he was above the rule of law, [Brown] proceeded to make a mockery of the deposition process. [Brown’s] antics were so unreasonable that barely twenty [20] minutes into the deposition, his counsel asked for a break [so] he could speak with [Brown] about his demeanor.”
- “When the deposition resumed, [Brown] began texting on his cell phone. Regardless of multiple requests from his own counsel, and from the undersigned, [Brown] continued texting”.
- “After approximately 20-30 minutes, [Brown] required another break. When the deposition resumed [Brown] increased his level of obstructive behavior. At one point, [Brown] refused to answer any questions, instead saying “next question” no less than 10 times.”
- “Soon thereafter, [Brown] started announcing a countdown, starting at ‘five (5) minutes,’ and counting down the minutes thereafter. Before noon [Brown] left the conference room.”
Brown’s legal team is currently working to either void the deposition process, or to prevent the video of the September deposition from becoming public, or both. The hearing regarding the deposition/video is tentatively scheduled for October 8th.
On another front, the NFL is still continuing their investigation into the allegations of rape and sexual misconduct that were alleged against Brown last month.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn