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Judge Rules in Favor of Grizzlies' Ja Morant Citing Self-Defense in 2022 Altercation with Teenager
Legal victory for Ja Morant! A Tennessee judge ruled in his favor, citing self-defense in the 2022 altercation with a teenager. Read Details here.
A Tennessee judge ruled on Monday in favor of Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies superstar, stating that his act of punching a teenager at his home in July 2022 was a justified act of self-defense, ESPN reports from court documents.
Morant testified in a Memphis civil immunity hearing in December 2023, confirming that he was the first one to land a punch on 17-year-old Holloway during an altercation. The spar came as a result of a pickup basketball game gone sour.
Evidently, annoyed from losing multiple games, Holloway is said to have thrown a one-handed pass toward Morant.
The pass struck Morant in the face. He stated that Holloway walked towards him after doing so, and consequently, he advanced and hit Holloway.
Davonte Pack, a friend of Morant's, also punched Holloway following Morant's blow, which resulted in Pack's arrest for misdemeanor assault. However, the charge against Pack was dropped later.
According to the court filings on Monday, Shelby County Circuit Judge Carol Chumney established that Morant was safe under the presumption of civil immunity that the Tennessee self-defense immunity statute offers. The task of disproving Morant's self-defense claim now rests on Holloway and his legal team.
How Have Legal Troubles Affected His Season and the Grizzlies?
The trial, originally slated for late April, is likely to be postponed. Rebecca Adelman, Holloway's lawyer, conveyed her disappointment to ESPN, vowing to persistently support and advocate for Joshua. In the meantime, no immediate response was received from Morant's legal team.
Throughout a troubled 2023-24 season, the lawsuit acted like a dark cloud over Morant, aged 24, who initially faced a 25-game penalty imposed by the NBA for unsuitable conduct.
This punishment followed a video that went viral in May 2023, which featured Morant wielding a weapon. Earlier in March 2023, he had also received an eight-game suspension after live-streaming himself via Instagram, holding a handgun in a Denver club. Morant expressed remorse for his actions in both instances.
Upon Morant's comeback from his 25-game suspension in December 2023, the two-time All-Star and 2019-20 NBA's Rookie of the Year only managed nine games; he averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists, and 5.6 rebounds before a season-ending injury to his shoulder.
Morant's unavailability, along with injuries to various team members, diminished what was a promising season for the Grizzlies. They ended up one step down from their second-place finish in the Western Conference the previous season.
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