The former professional basketball player also accuses his former manager Tonita Bybee, whom he claims he fired in May 2022, of 'identity theft,' 'conversion' and 'embezzlement' among others.
- Jun 15, 2023
AceShowbiz - Lamar Odom is suing his former manager, Tonita Bybee, in a $1 million lawsuit. The former professional basketball player claimed that Tonita forged documents in order to steal his home.
Obtained by Page Six on Wednesday, June 14, the lawsuit saw Lamar alleging that Tonita, whom he claims he fired in May 2022, concocted a scheme. She additionally improperly sold off a house he owns in Brooklyn, N.Y., to a third party by forging a deed.
Lamar noted that the said house has been in his family "for nearly three decades." The ex-husband of Khloe Kardashian also said that his aunt Carol Janean Mercer has been living there since the passing of his uncle Michael Mercer in August 2022. Carol, however, faces eviction as a result of Tonita's alleged "fraudulent transfer."
In his lawsuit, Lamar accused Tonita of "identity theft," "conversion," "embezzlement," "misappropriation" and "various other iterations of fraud." He stated that she "acted with malice, wanton dishonesty and a high degree of immoral turpitude."
According to Lamar, Tonita engaged in unauthorized use of his name, signature, likeness, social security number, employer identification number at one of his companies, verified social media accounts and email addresses. She also allegedly used his personal information "to defraud people and businesses by accepting speaking and appearance engagements" after she was terminated - and that she collected payment anyway.
The "Celebrity Big Brother" alum added that Tonita owes him money from his appearances on "Celebrity Big Brother", "College Hill: Celebrity Edition" and "Celebrity Boxing". Lamar also said that he has yet to receive payments from an NFT deal bearing his name and sponsored social media promotions.
Additionally, Lamar is suing the public notary whom he claimed "improperly notarized" the allegedly forged deed because they "attested" to his "presence and signature, despite the fact that [he] never appeared before [the public notary] either in person or remotely to execute the forged deed."
Lamar is seeking more than $1 million in damages. In a statement to Page Six, the retired athlete's attorney, Zachary G. Meyer, said, "We greatly look forward to vindicating Lamar's right in this matter."
