Zion Williamson Files Protective Order Against Eligibility Inquiry in Lawsuit

Zion Williamson's attorneys have filed a protective order to block his former marketing agent's inquiry into illegal benefits he allegedly received at Duke.

Zion Williamson's attorneys have filed a protective order to block his former marketing agent's inquiry into illegal benefits he allegedly received at Duke, according to The Athletic's Daniel Wallach.

Williamson's lawyers called the requests from Gina Ford–his former agent and president of the Florida-based Prime Sports Marketing–"invasive" and "irrelevant." Ford and Williamson have been involved in an ongoing dispute after the Pelicans rookie reportedly signed a deal with Prime Sports Marketing last spring and then backed out.

BREAKING: Zion Williamson files for protective order against ‘invasive' and 'irrelevant' discovery requests, seeks court order to block Gina Ford’s inquiry into past eligibility at Duke and whether he received any improper economic benefits. pic.twitter.com/7GM4Hppyp7

— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) May 28, 2020

Last June, Williamson sued the firm to end the enforcement of his agreement, insisting that a contract he signed with Prime Sports in April to represent him in endorsement deals is void and illegal under North Carolina’s Uniform Athlete Agent Act (UAAA). Williamson later signed with CAA Sports.

Ford and Prime Sports responded to the lawsuit eight days later by filing an 88-page complaint demanding at least $100 million in damages. As Sports Illustrated legal analyst Michael McCann noted last year, "Ford hopes Williamson will pay a hefty price for what she depicts as Williamson and CAA conspiring to steal her work and brazenly breach a contract that Williamson had willingly signed."

Earlier this month, Ford served requests for admissions in the company's lawsuit with Williamson, asking the former Blue Devils star to admit he received, "money, benefits, favors or other things of value" to attend Duke.

The requests for admission also include Williamson admitting that he knew his mother, Sharonda Sampson, and stepfather, Lee Anderson, "received gifts and economic benefits from persons acting on behalf of Duke University (directly and/or indirectly) to influence you to attend" the school.