Former NFL star Le’Veon Bell has denied rape claims from a relative following a pricey judgment.
The woman, Jada Bell, filed a lawsuit against the former running back in Franklin County, Ohio, last year, stating the RB-turned-boxer started having incestual relations with her against her will while she was just six or seven years old.
The suit notes that Bell is eight years older than the complainant and adds that he used “slang terms” to instruct her to perform sexual acts on him.
“For instance, he termed oral sex ‘fire,’” it notes.
Jada claims the molestation went on for around 10 years and would continue whenever the player would come back home from college, only ending when she turned 18. The suit was filed last March before a judge issued a default ruling in her favor in October, as Le’Veon never showed up to court. It’s claimed that he was “served according to law and failed to move, plead, or otherwise appear in this action.”
A jury met last month to determine the damages and, per TMZ, Jada was awarded $25 million.
Le’Veon Bell Denies Ever Being Served
Bell, as mentioned above, has denied the allegations. He also claimed he was never served.
“My client adamantly denies any and all allegations that have been lodged against him. Further, he was never served with a civil complaint or any documents,” his attorney, Thomas W. Shaffer, told TMZ.
The lawyer also claimed that Bell was not even living in Ohio at the time he was supposedly served.
“The default judgment granted was based upon violations of his Fifth Amendment rights of due process for failing to be served,” he added. “My client is in the process of filing a motion to open and reverse the default judgment because the narratives of the case have never been litigated.”
Le’Veon Bell spent eight years in the NFL, playing his last season with the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, making just over $45 million during his career.
He has since gotten into professional boxing and hopes to fight Oleksandr Usyk next.
