Attorneys representing Ja Morant, the star player of the Memphis Grizzlies, have been given permission to argue that Morant acted in self-defense in response to a lawsuit accusing him of assaulting a teenager during a pickup basketball game, as reported by the Associated Press.
Judge Carol Chumney of the Circuit Court, who made the ruling on Thursday, has scheduled a hearing for December 11 to allow Morant’s and the 18-year-old Joshua Holloway’s lawyers to discuss whether Morant would be immune from liability under Tennessee law.
Morant’s legal team claims that the Grizzlies guard struck Holloway once after being hit in the chin with a basketball by Holloway. They also argue that Morant should be shielded from prosecution under Tennessee’s “stand your ground” law, which permits individuals to use force when feeling threatened in their own homes.
The pickup basketball game took place at Morant’s residence in the Memphis area.
Holloway was 17 years old when the lawsuit was initially filed. In the lawsuit, Morant and his friend, Davonte Pack, are accused of assault, reckless endangerment, abuse or neglect, and infliction of emotional distress.
Morant responded with a countersuit in which he accused Holloway of slander, battery, and assault. No criminal charges have been brought against Morant, but Pack is facing a misdemeanor assault charge in a case set to be heard in criminal court on Tuesday.
The NBA suspended Morant for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season after a video of him brandishing a gun in a vehicle was posted on social media. This suspension followed an eight-game ban Morant served in March for another gun-brandishing incident at a strip club in the Denver area.
