Judge Rules Zion Williamson Must Answer Questions Regarding Duke Eligibility

A Florida judge has denied Zion Williamson's request to stay discovery, meaning the former Duke star will have to answer questions about his eligibility.

A Miami judge ruled Tuesday that Zion Williamson must answer questions under oath about his eligibility to play at Duke, according to The Athletic's Daniel Wallach.

 During a motion hearing in Miami-Dade County Court, the circuit judge denied a request from Williamson's attorneys attempting to stop him from answering his former marketing agent's inquiry into illegal benefits he allegedly received at Duke.

According to ESPN, Williamson's attorneys are expected to file an appeal with Florida's Third District Court of Appeal.

Last week, Williamson's attorneys filed a protective order to block the inquiry of Gina Ford–his former agent and president of the Florida-based Prime Sports Marketing. His lawyers called the requests from Ford "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.

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.