Former basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal finds himself entangled in legal troubles once again as process servers persist in serving him with a class-action lawsuit over his alleged involvement with FTX, a cryptocurrency platform. However, this time, a new lawsuit has emerged, accusing O’Neal of both founding and promoting a Solana-based Astrals nonfungible token (NFT) project, which the plaintiffs claim involves the sale of “unregistered securities.” Recent events unfolded as process servers managed to serve O’Neal during a basketball game he was commentating on, shedding light on the ongoing legal saga.
On May 23, process servers achieved a breakthrough, reaching O’Neal at the Kaseya Center, formerly the ex-FTX Arena, while he was engaged in basketball commentary duties. This occasion marked the service of both the FTX class-action suit and the new separate class-action suit related to O’Neal’s alleged promotion of the NFT project called “Astrals.” Representing both lawsuits, lawyer Adam Moskowitz confirmed that O’Neal was successfully served with the legal papers during the game, which led to his subsequent ejection of the process server from the arena.
Previously, O’Neal’s defense claimed that the process servers for the FTX lawsuit had mishandled the service, alleging that the papers were thrown at his moving vehicle and subsequently abandoned on the road. O’Neal’s legal team argued that such a method of service was inadequate under federal rules, emphasizing the importance of adhering to state law for serving a summons. The previous lawsuit, served in Georgia, did not meet the requirements set forth by O’Neal’s lawyers, as they contended that the papers were not delivered by an authorized person.
In the recent lawsuit, Moskowitz disclosed that the process server had purchased tickets to the May 23 basketball game, intentionally positioning themselves in proximity to O’Neal’s commentary platform. Seizing the opportunity, the server successfully delivered the complaint to O’Neal during the event, resulting in the subsequent ejection of the server from the premises by O’Neal himself.
The FTX class-action suit primarily targets celebrities alleged to have endorsed the now-bankrupt exchange. Alongside O’Neal, notable names like basketball player Steph Curry, retired NFL player Tom Brady, comedian Larry David, and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried are also implicated. Interestingly, O’Neal and Curry managed to jest about the lawsuit on television, with O’Neal humorously thanking Curry for getting him into trouble. Swiftly changing the subject, a co-host redirected the conversation to a different topic.
Meanwhile, the second class-action lawsuit served to O’Neal on May 23, revolves around his supposed founding and promotion of the Solana-based Astrals NFT project. The complaint asserts that these NFTs qualify as “unregistered securities” under the Howey Test, arguing that purchasers were participants in a joint enterprise and held an expectation of profit. O’Neal stands as the sole defendant in this lawsuit, as the plaintiffs claim to have invested in Astrals and experienced financial losses due to O’Neal’s alleged misconduct. The lawsuit further questions O’Neal’s current involvement with the Astrals Project, citing his absence from the project’s Discord since January.
Shaquille O’Neal faces mounting legal challenges, being served with both a class-action lawsuit concerning his alleged association with FTX and a new suit relating to his role in the Solana-based Astrals NFT project. As process servers finally succeed in serving him during a basketball game he was commentating on, the spotlight intensifies
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