Law Firm Publicly Urges Shaquille O'Neal to Acknowledge Legal Complaint in FTX Collapse Lawsuit

The Moskowitz Law Firm, representing victims affected by the FTX collapse, has made a public plea to NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal, asking him to show "courtesy and honor" by acknowledging their legal complaint after several unsuccessful attempts to serve him. In an April 14 tweet, the law firm revealed that its team has been standing outside O'Neal's TNT studios in Atlanta "all week" to serve him on behalf of FTX investors, in regard to his previous endorsement of the now-defunct crypto exchange. However, it was noted that O'Neal's security guards have not let them in.

It was emphasized that O'Neal is the only one among the "FTX celebrities" – referring to the class action lawsuit filed against several celebrities for endorsing FTX, including Tom Brady, Steph Curry, and Larry David – who has not yet been served. The law firm stated that O'Neal has been "running" from them "for 3 months" and should show the courtesy and honor by allowing their process servers to deliver the legal complaint on his behalf, so he can defend his "actions in this matter."

This comes after an April 7 court filing stated that numerous attempts have been made in various locations to serve O'Neal, but all have been unsuccessful. The filing stated: “Mr. O'Neal is the sole remaining defendant in this matter who has still not been served. Despite Plaintiffs’ dozens of attempts in multiple states and countries, to either effect service on him or have him (or a designated agent) accept service of process.”

According to the court filing, the process server in Texas, Mr. Shaw, received a threatening message after making the "eighth most recent attempt" to serve O'Neal at his Texas residence. The message mentioned Mr. Shaw's wife, Beth Shaw, stating, “shaq lives in the Bahamas u stupid fuck give beth shaw my regards.”

It was further stated that the plaintiffs believe it is “finally time” to start attempting to contact O'Neal via other means, such as “direct messages to his verified social media accounts."

This comes after it was reported on March 9 that U.S. District Judge Kevin Moore is considering dismissing both O'Neal and tennis athlete Naomi Osaki from the lawsuit, after pointing out that it is unclear whether the two had been served. A paperless order was issued by Moore, giving FTX customers until December to provide justification for why both stars should be included in the lawsuit.

The FTX collapse has had a significant impact on investors and has raised questions about the responsibility of celebrities who endorse such platforms. The class action lawsuit seeks to hold these celebrities accountable for their role in promoting the now-defunct crypto exchange. As the case proceeds, it highlights the potential legal and reputational risks associated with celebrity endorsements of volatile and emerging industries like cryptocurrencies.

As the Moskowitz Law Firm continues to pursue service of process on Shaquille O'Neal, the outcome of this case could set a precedent for future legal actions involving celebrities and their endorsements of cryptocurrency exchanges and other financial platforms. The case underscores the importance of celebrities carefully considering their endorsements and the potential consequences of promoting products and services in industries with inherent risks.