Сагсан бөмбөгийн тамирчин Жеймс Харден 2019 онд түрээсэлсэн тансаг зэрэглэлийн харшид болсон үйл ажиллагаатай холбоотой маргааны улмаас оногдуулсан 1.35 сая ам.долларын торгуулийг эсэргүүцэж байна.
Лос-Анжелесийн шүүхээс 2025 оны гуравдугаар сард гаргасан шийдвэрээр Жеймс Харденыг залилан үйлдсэн гэж үзэн, харш эзэмшигч Жорж Сантопиетрод 900,000 ам.долларын нөхөн төлбөр, мөн 450,000 ам.долларын хохирлыг хамтран хариуцахаар шийдвэрлэжээ. Уг маргаан нь түрээсийн гэрээнд заасан долоон хүнээс илүү зочин урьсан, эд хөрөнгөд хохирол учруулсан гэх үндэслэлээр үүссэн байна.
Жеймс Хардены өмгөөлөгчид наймдугаар сарын 3-нд болох шүүх хурлын өмнө баримт бичиг ирүүлж, шүүхийн шийдвэрийг хүчингүй болгох эсвэл дахин шүүх хурал явуулахыг хүсэв. Тэдний үзэж буйгаар, гэрээнд заасан хязгаарлалт нь зөвхөн хоноглох зочдод хамааралтай бөгөөд өдрийн цагаар ирсэн зочдод хамаарахгүй гэж тайлбарлаж байна.
Мөн өмгөөлөгчдийн зүгээс шүүх танхимд залилан үйлдсэн гэх нотлох баримт хангалтгүй байсан бөгөөд нөхөн төлбөр тогтоох үндэслэлгүй гэж мэдэгджээ. Хардены тал өмнө нь байрны эзэн Жорж Сантопиетрог түрээслэгчдийг дарамталж, мөнгө нэхэмжилсэн хэмээн буруутгаж байсан юм.
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NBA star James Harden is trying to erase a $1.35 million courtroom loss after a jury found he committed fraud in a dispute over parties at a luxury Beverly Hills mansion he rented in 2019.
The Cleveland Cavaliers guard is asking a Los Angeles judge to overturn a verdict that awarded homeowner George Santopietro $900,000 in punitive damages and held Harden partly responsible for another $450,000 in compensatory damages.
Santopietro alleged Harden paid $82,200 to rent the mansion for one week under an agreement limiting him to no more than seven guests. Instead, the lawsuit claims Harden hosted multiple parties with more than 15 people, causing property damage and straining the homeowner’s relationship with the local homeowners association.
After about two hours of deliberations in March 2025, a jury found Harden committed fraud. It awarded Santopietro $900,000 in punitive damages and ruled Harden shared liability for $450,000 in compensatory damages with a property management company and its owner, who the landlord alleged helped arrange the rental agreement.
Now Harden is asking the court to throw out the verdict.
In court papers filed Thursday ahead of an Aug. 3 hearing, Harden’s attorneys argued the case hinged on a misunderstanding of the lease. They contend the seven-person limit applied only to overnight occupants—not daytime visitors—and say even Santopietro’s own real estate agent interpreted the agreement that way.
“The jury therefore could find fraud only by disregarding uncontradicted testimony and speculating that defendants possessed knowledge they did not have,” Harden’s attorneys wrote. They also argued there was no evidence of malice, oppression or fraud to justify punitive damages.
If the judge declines to overturn the verdict, Harden’s legal team is seeking a new trial, arguing the jury’s findings were “against the weight of the credible evidence.”
Santopietro sued Harden and the other defendants in September 2019.
In earlier court filings, Harden’s attorney accused Santopietro of trying to “take advantage of the tenants with the goal of extorting money from them or to get a default.” The filings also alleged Santopietro, who lives in Bangkok, “is well connected and is someone who threatens and intimidates everyone.”
Harden, 36, was traded to the Cavaliers in February after beginning the 2023-24 season with the Los Angeles Clippers. A former Artesia High School standout, he led the program to two California state championships and is the NBA’s highest-scoring left-handed player.
