OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Allen Iverson said Thursday that officials from a promotions company that sued him knew he wasn’t going to show up for a weekend of appearances in Omaha in early August.
“I alerted them that I wasn’t going to make it and I guess they didn’t alert the people that’s supposed to have been there,” the Denver Nuggets star said after practice.
The complaint filed last week in Douglas County District Court seeks about $44,000 in damages for leaving fans at a youth rally and two nightclubs without their main attraction.
“That’s just another situation that I’m not even worried about because I know the truth,” Iverson said. “It’s just another situation in my life that I’m faced with and I have to deal with it like a man.”
It’s unclear whether Iverson and his manager, Gary Moore, will fight the lawsuit. Moore didn’t immediately return phone calls by The Associated Press seeking comment. Moore is also the president of Crossover Promotions, Iverson’s promotions company.
When asked if he would fight the lawsuit, Iverson said: “The situation is what it is. They knew I wasn’t going to be there. So, you know, I don’t know. It’s just another one of those things.”
Kermit Brashear, the lawyer for the plaintiff, DC Presents HYB Ltd., did not immediately return a call seeking comment on Thursday.
Brashear said earlier that the company knew nothing more than what Iverson’s representatives told Dave Chambers: that Iverson had a family emergency.
Iverson said Thursday that he’s accustomed to not having the best reputation.
“I’m used to it and it don’t bother me that people don’t recognize. As far as you people and other people, that don’t matter,” Iverson said. “The only people that do matter is the people that I do it for, the charities, the people that benefit from it.”
According to the mission statement from Crossover’s Web site, the company’s mission is to “educate, empower, and entertain while encouraging personal growth and positive social change.” The site still listed the three Omaha events on its schedule on Thursday.
A hearing for the lawsuit has not been set and will likely not be scheduled until next week.
The lawsuit says a $10,000 deposit was paid to Moore to secure Iverson’s appearance. An itemized list of other expenses included $12,500 for a private plane sent to Virginia to pick up Iverson and bring him to Omaha.
According to the lawsuit, Iverson’s lawyers haven’t responded to demands for the money back.
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Associated Press Writer Eric W. Bolin in Denver contributed to this report.
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