Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant’s trial for punching a teenager during a basketball game will continue through 2025, marking the third year the litigation has reached.
The case has been subject to numerous delays, with several lawyers being hired for the teenager and numerous motions being filed.
The last hearing, in December 2023, ended with a The judge ruled that Morant would be allowed to claim he acted in self-defense when he punched Joshua Holloway, then a high school basketball player.The hearing was the first of two, and the burden now falls on Holloway’s lawyers to prove that Morant did not act in self-defense.
The three-day hearing in December featured a number of witnesses ranging from Morant himself to his family and friends.Holloway did not testify at that hearing.
“The only direct evidence of the force used by Mr. Morant is the testimony of Chip Brunt, who described Mr. Morant’s single punch as a ‘chin check’ and not a ‘severe blow,’” Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Carol Chumney wrote in April. “Circumstantial evidence—that the plaintiff was not struck by the blow and had no bruises or other visible injuries, that he did not appear dazed, and that he drove home—supports Brunt’s observations. This quantum exceeds the proof required by the statute (on self-defense immunity).”
Originally filed in September 2022, the lawsuit is a long-running case that has plagued one of the NBA’s most explosive young basketball players. It stems from a pickup basketball game where Morant had a number of local players at his Eads home play with him.
At one point in the game, tempers flared and Morant was hit in the face by the basketball when Holloway checked him with it. The manner in which the ball was thrown was a point of contention, but Morant and Holloway approached each other on the court and Morant hit Holloway.
Morant’s attorneys argued that Holloway was in a fighting stance and that the NBA star’s blow was preemptive. After Morant punched the teen, his longtime friend Davonte Pack punched Holloway, knocking him to the ground.
Morant and Pack are co-defendants in the case. Pack was charged with misdemeanor assaultalthough he finally had That charge was dropped by the Shelby County District Attorney’s OfficeMorant was never criminally charged.
The recent delay can be attributed in large part to the change in attorneys representing Holloway in the case. The teenager’s family had initially retained Rebecca Adelman and Leslie Ballin, and those two attorneys questioned witnesses at the initial hearing.
Adelman and Ballin asked to step down as attorneys shortly after Chumney ruled that Morant would be allowed to argue self-defense.citing an unspecified conflict of interest. Following the withdrawal hearing, Holloway’s mother told reporters they were not willing to settle the case..
“My main goal is to get justice for Joshua,” Holloway’s mother, Myca Clay, told reporters after the hearing. “This case has been going on for about 23 months and there have been some unacceptable things that have happened. I’m just trying to get justice for my son. I’m not open to a settlement of this case. I just want justice, and proper justice, and I think the justice system here has failed us.”
THE The teenager has since hired Stephen Leffler to represent him in the case. Leffler is one of the attorneys currently defending former Memphis police officer Demetrius Haley in the Tyre Nichols civil trial. In his first appearance on Holloway’s behalf in June, Leffler said he would need time to get up to speed on the case.
In court Friday morning, one of Morant’s attorneys, Keenan Carter, said the date set for the second part of the immunity hearing, in which Holloway’s attorneys will argue that Morant did not act in self-defense, was to take place in Holloway’s presence. Holloway was present for part of the first immunity hearing but did not testify.
The next court appearance will be on November 22, when lawyers will review any new evidence introduced in the case. The second half of the immunity hearing, which Holloway’s lawyers said would last two to three days, will begin on January 7, 2025.
Lucas Finton covers criminal justice issues for The Commercial Appeal. You can contact him at [email protected]
