In the trial involving him punching a teenager during a heated encounter, a judge determined on Monday that Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies ‘ point guard, raised self defense quite.
According to the New York Post, the New York Post reported on Monday that Morant acted in self-defense when he punched Joshua Holloway, age 17, in the summer of 2022.
” In the encounter, Holloway reportedly was frustrated at losing many games and in a” verify- game condition” threw the ball one- handed and hit Morant in the face”, it continued. ” Morant finally landed a blow on Holloway, and Morant’s companion Davonte Pack proceeded to bite Holloway as well”.
Ja Morant,# 12 of the Memphis Grizzlies, looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Five of the Western Conference First Round Finals at FedExForum on April 26, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. ( Justin Ford/Getty Images )
The criminal assault charges brought against Pack were eventually dropped. In 2022, Halloway filed a civil lawsuit against Morant.
The decision is made following a legal immunity hearing in Memphis in December 2023, when Morant claimed to have swung first at 17-year-old Joshua Holloway to defend himself before filing a lawsuit against Morant in September 2022.
Morant, 24, was the subject of the petition during the confused 2023-24 period, which saw him receive a 25-game NBA suspension for unfavorable behavior.
Following a film that was circulated on social media in May 2023 that showed Morant carrying a gun, the suspension was issued. In March 2023, he had recently been given an eight game suspension after posting an Instagram Live film in which he held up a gun at a Denver bar.
Morant apologized for both situations.
Judge Carol Chumney argued that Morant , “enjoys a notion of legal immunity under Tennessee’s personal- security immunity statute, putting the burden of proof on Holloway’s legitimate team.
” We’re disappointed, and we will continue to take the actions necessary to protect and advocate for Joshua,” Holloway’s lawyer, Elizabeth Adelman, told ESPN.
Morant’s prosecutors have not issued a speech on the subject.
