A judge ruled in favor of Josh Harrellson to the tune of $1 million in his civil case against Leon Smith, a former director of basketball ops at Kentucky, who Harrellson said got deep in his pockets as his financial advisor after college.
Harrellson alleged that Smith defrauded and stole from him while Smith was supposed to be looking out for his investments and finances early in his pro career.
The Herald-Leader broke the news:
Fayette Circuit Judge Pamela Goodwine’s Monday ruling on punitive damages – $1,025,308.14 – is six times the amount of compensatory damages – $170,884.69 – she ruled that Smith also must pay Harrellson.
“Leon Smith preyed on Harrellson’s financial vulnerability,” Goodwine wrote in her final judgment. “His conduct is egregious. He engaged in deliberate, repeated acts of theft over the course of two years.”
Back in May, Smith’s Legacy Athlete Management was charged with conning athletes out of over $1.2 million via a variety of methods, some of which included forging signatures and receiving payroll checks issued to his clients. One of those checks was a $40,000 royalty check from the NBA Players Association, that was supposed to go to Harrellson.
Smith, a former UK athlete himself, pleaded not guilty.
Read more the Herald-Leader's story
here.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard