Ja Morant’s lawyers have reportedly filed a motion to dismiss a civil case between the NBA star and a teenager with whom he had a physical altercation last year.
The Memphis Grizzlies guard has always said he acted in self-defense, as the motion cites.
The lawyers argue that Morant should be granted “civil immunity under the [Self-Defense Immunity] Statute” in the state of Tennessee, according to the Commercial Appeal.
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Ja Morant, number 12 of the Memphis Grizzlies, brings the ball up court during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at FedExForum on December 31, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Morant says the teen hit him in the face with a basketball on purpose while playing an impromptu game at Morant’s house. After the altercation, Morant and other witnesses, including Morant’s father, Tee, say the teen threatened to shoot up the house.
Morant’s initial police report said the boy threatened his family. It is reported that Morant then displayed a gun in response.
Morant’s lawyers say his only blow to the teen was “only to the extent necessary to protect him from further harm” and “not hard enough to knock him off his feet.”
Ja Morant, number 12 of the Memphis Grizzlies, reacts during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on February 23, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
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The motion seeks a hearing within 40 days of filing and that anything related to the civil case be stopped. The lawyers also requested “mandatory damages that the [Self-Defense Immunity] statute offers [Morant]: an award of attorneys’ fees, costs, lost income, and expenses.”
The altercation was one of several incidents involving Morant since last summer. Four days earlier, Morant had allegedly “threatened” the head of security at a Memphis mall, and a member of Morant’s group shoved him in the head.
During last season, the Indiana Pacers claimed that after an altercation between Morant’s associates and the Pacers, a red laser was pointed at the team from an SUV carrying Morant, which the Pacers believed was a weapon. The NBA investigated the incident and found that no “individual threatened others with a weapon.”
Ja Morant, number 12 of the Memphis Grizzlies, reacts during Game 1 of Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 16, 2023 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Morant has been suspended for the first 25 games of the NBA season for a second incident in which he appeared brandishing a gun in an Instagram Live video. He was suspended for eight games when he first did so at a Denver nightclub in March.
