Kareem Abdul-Jabbar lawsuit: Julien Auctions awarded over $500,000 in ruling

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar(Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer)

A Beverly Hills auction house will be awarded over $500,000 after a Superior Court Judge ruled against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s lawsuit over the auction’s efforts to sell his sports memorabilia (Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer)

Julien’s Auctions will be awarded $543,961 in “significant damages” after Superior Court Judge Haley Fromholz dismissed a lawsuit former Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar filed that disputes the company’s right to sell his sports memorabilia, the Beverly Hills auction house announced on Thursday.

“Julien’s Auctions was forced to file the action against Mr. Abdul-Jabbar’s company when Mr. Jabbar entered into a valid and enforceable written consignment agreement with Julien’s Auctions, agreed to sell his one-of-a-kind and unprecedented memorabilia collection with Julien’s Auctions, and, after receiving $300,000 in advances from Julien’s Auctions, refused to go forward with the auction and refused to refund the advance,” the auction house said in a statement.

Julien’s Auctions also added that it will pursue separate action against Abdul-Jabbar’s business manager, Deborah Morales of Iconomy LLC, for “numerous fraudulent misrepresentations and false promises made in connection with this consignment agreement.”

[UPDATED: Sept, 19, 2014: 11:00 a.m.] In a statement, both Morales and Abdul-Jabbar’s lawyer Evan Smiley downplayed the revelations, noting that Fromholz refused to allow an auction to go forward with over four hundred items of Abdul-Jabbar’s sports memorabilia. The statement also said damages awarded to Julien’s Auctions only amounted to a “a fraction of their claim.”

“Darren Julien, the principal of Julien’s, enticed Mr. Abdul-Jabbar into planning the sale through assurances that he later would be able to hold back items carrying significant sentimental value,” according to their statement. “Julien’s then reneged on that promise, instead filing multiple lawsuits in an ultimately failed attempt force the auction to take place.”

The statement also painted Abdul-Jabbar’s advance payment as a charitable donation to his foundation and was unrelated to any business deal.

“It’s unfortunate Julien’s continues spewing false accusations against Mr. Abdul-Jabbar, Skyhook Foundation and me,” Morales said in a statement. “We will forever regret engaging in business with them, and I caution others to proceed at your own risk with a company demonstrating such inflexible and litigious behavior.”

Earlier this year, Abdul-Jabbar partnered with Starguard Collectibles to sell some of his sports memorabilia, including an acrylic painting of the former UCLA star and his inked fingerprint on a signed basketball for $5,600.

Julien’s Auctions have sold various sports memorabilia over the years, including items from former Laker Elgin Baylor in 2013.

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