Lamar Odom Sues Former Manager For Embezzlement & Identity Theft Due To Stolen Property
By Fiyin Olowokandi on June 17, 2023 at 7:30 PM EDT
Lamar Odom is fighting against his ex-manager for using his identity illegally.
The former NBA star has experienced his fair share of controversies starting from his highly publicized marriage to Khloé Kardashian and his drug addiction struggles. After overcoming these rocky situations, the 43-year-old's identity is taking a beating.
The New Yorker recently started a legal battle against Tonita Bybee, his former representative. The Parade Player of the Year honoree is suing the media personality for fraudulent activities, including identity theft.
Lamar Odom Files A Lawsuit Against His Ex-Manager For Carrying Out Various Transactions Under His Name
According to the lawsuit, the athlete-turned-TV-personality sued his former manager for allegedly forging documents to embezzle his wealth and properties.
Odom, who fired the media representative in May 2022, claimed Bybee plotted a nefarious scheme against him. The retired basketball player accused her of illegally selling his Brooklyn property in New York City to a third party.
According to the 43-year-old, the transaction was done through forgery after his former manager allegedly created a counterfeit of the house deed, which had been in his family "for nearly three decades." The "Dancing with the Stars" alum stated his aunt, Carol Janean Mercer, had also resided in the property since August 2022.
Odom's relative moved into the Brooklyn home after the passing of his uncle Michael Mercer. However, Carol's time on the property was in jeopardy as she faced eviction because of Bybee's alleged "fraudulent transfer."
The Los Angeles Lakers ex-players lawsuit against the media personality included claims of "identity theft," "conversion," "embezzlement," "misappropriation," and "other iterations of fraud," per Page Six. The retired athlete believes the alleged culprit "acted with malice, wanton dishonesty, and a high degree of immoral turpitude."
His witch hunt against Bybee stated that his former manager had carried out these illegal activities through the unauthorized use of his name, signature, likeness, and social security number. She had also accessed his employer identification number at one of his companies, alongside his verified social media accounts and email addresses.
The NBA Sixth Man of the Year honoree accused Bybee of using his identity "to defraud people and businesses by accepting speaking and appearance engagements." These business deals reportedly occurred after she was fired, yet Odom's former representative kept the payment she received.
Part of the allegedly stolen wealth included the money the New Yorker gained from his appearances on shows like "Celebrity Big Brother," "College Hill: Celebrity Edition," and "Celebrity Boxing." There was also the payment from an NFT deal in the TV personality's name and sponsored social media promotions.
Per the lawsuit, the former basketball player dragged the public notary down with Bybee for participating in the fraudulent activities. Odom claimed the registrar "improperly notarized" the forged deed to his Brooklyn property.
The notary was labeled an accomplice because they "attested" to the 43-year-old's "presence and signature, even though [he] never appeared before [the public notary] either in person or remotely to execute the forged deed."
In conclusion, the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year titleholder wants over $1 million in damages from the Savvy Girl Consulting and Talent Management Group staffer. Regarding the lawsuit, the former athlete's lawyer Zachary G. Meyer chimed: "We greatly look forward to vindicating Lamar's right in this matter."
Khloé Kardashian's Ex-husband Was Sued For Over $100,000 In Credit Card Debt.
Odom's legal battle against Bybee is not the only court case the 43-year-old has to worry about. Last month, the New Yorker made headlines for having over $100,000 in credit card debt. The lawsuit was filed against the NBA star by Credit Corp Solutions, an assignee of Citibank.
In the court documents, the former athlete was accused of owning the company a total of $108,133.40. Citibank noted in their legal filing that the TV personality had been carrying out transactions on the credit card account they issued to him.
Although Kardashian's ex-husband reportedly received periodic billing statements for the credit account, the company claimed the New Yorker failed "in making the required payments." The only time Odom was cited for crediting the report was on January 4, 2019.
Per the legal documents, Citibank noted that they were not requesting Odom to cover any post-charge-off fees or interest for his card. Instead, they wanted the 43-year-old to pay the total sum he owed — $108,133.40.
Although the organization stated they did not want interest, they requested that the former Lakers player cover all the expenses of filing the lawsuit. These payments will include any other relief the Court deems proper.
