Report: Zion Williamson Granted Stay in Lawsuit Filed by Gina Ford

Former Duke basketball star Zion Williamson has been granted a full stay by a Florida judge for the lawsuit brought by Gina Ford, according to The Athletic's Daniel Wallach. 

With the stay, Williamson currently will not have to answer any discovery questions from Ford about whether he or his parents received money or benefits before or while he attended Duke. Ford, Williamson's former marketing manager, is suing the former Duke star for $100 million for allegedly breaching their marketing agreement.

The ruling comes after a Miami judge ruled on June 2 that Williamson needed to answer questions under oath about his eligibility to play at Duke. The appeal filed by his attorneys under Florida's Third District Court of Appeal resulted in Wednesday's ruling as the case shifts to North Carolina.

According to Wallach, the general rule in Florida is that "when a previously-filed federal action is pending between the same parties involving the same issues, a subsequently-filed state court action ordinarily should be stayed until resolution of the federal action." 

Williamson has been involved in an ongoing dispute with Ford, president of the Florida-based Prime Sports Marketing, after the Pelicans rookie reportedly backed out of a deal with Prime Sports Marketing after signing last spring. Earlier this year, Ford served requests for admissions in the company's lawsuit with Williamson, asking the former Blue Devils star to admit he received, "money, benefits, favors or other things of value" to attend Duke. 

In June 2019, Williamson sued the firm to end the enforcement of his agreement, insisting that a contract he signed with Prime Sports in April to represent him in endorsement deals is void and illegal under North Carolina’s Uniform Athlete Agent Act (UAAA). 

Williamson is currently signed under CAA Sports for representation.