MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Ja Morant and several others have been subpoenaed to testify in the ongoing lawsuit over a pickup basketball game at the NBA star's house.
Court records show Morant, his mother and father Jamie and Tee Morant, friend Davonte Pack, Mike Miller, and accuser Joshua Holloway, along with many others who were there, including deputies who investigated, have been subpoenaed to testify in the case.
Circuit Court Judge Carol Chumney ruled that Morant’s lawyers would be allowed to argue that he was acting in self-defense. She set a Dec. 11 hearing to discuss whether Morant is immune from liability under Tennessee law for hitting Holloway during the game at the All-Star player's Memphis-area home in July 2022.
Morant's accuser was 17 when the lawsuit was filed. It accuses Morant and friend Davonte Pack of assault, reckless endangerment, abuse or neglect and infliction of emotional distress. An amended complaint identified the plaintiff as Holloway.
Morant filed a countersuit accusing Holloway of slander, battery and assault. No criminal charges have been filed against Morant. Pack had been charged with misdemeanor assault, but prosecutors later said they would not pursue the charge.
Morant's lawyers have acknowledged he punched Holloway one time after Holloway threw a basketball at Morant and the ball hit Morant in the chin. In a July 26 motion, the player's lawyers said he should be immune from liability under the state's "stand your ground" law, which allows people who feel threatened at their homes to act with force in certain situations.
Holloway's lawyer, Rebecca Adelman, has argued the self-defense claim under the state law can't be a reason to dismiss the civil case, partly because there is no ongoing criminal investigation against Morant. She has argued Holloway has a right to a jury trial, which would not take place if the judge finds that Morant is immune.
Adelman has said the self-defense and immunity arguments came too late in the process. At a July hearing, she called it a "Hail Mary of Hail Marys."
Will Perry, Morant's lawyer, has argued there are ways for the "stand your ground" law to apply in civil cases and that Morant is entitled to immunity. He has said the motion was timely because the trial is not scheduled until April 2024.
This all came as the NBA suspended Morant for the first 25 games this season after a video of him flashing a handgun was posted online. The video of Morant showing a gun while sitting in the passenger seat of a car was posted after he finished serving an eight-game suspension in March for a video in which he displayed a handgun in a Denver-area strip club. Morant apologized for both videos.