HOUSTON – Houston Rockets point guard James Harden is not known for his defensive prowess, but he went on a full court press against allegations he masterminded an assault at a Houston restaurant last year, per recent Harris County District Court records.
On Aug. 3, Harden submitted a formal response to Moses Malone, Jr.’s 2016 legal complaint.
The plaintiff, whose father was late former National Basketball Association superstar Moses Malone, Sr., asserts in the suit that he was the victim of an attack on the premises of VLive@Vintage Steakhouse, doing business as VLive Houston, on the night of June 25, 2016.
According to the original petition, a group of men kicked and punched the younger Malone in plain sight of the restaurant’s security and staff. The assailants subsequently made off with his jewelry, court documents state.
The complainant accuses Harden, a five-time NBA All-Star, of paying the men $20,000 to carry out the assault.
Harden’s three-page answer claims he had nothing to do with the subject event, insisting that he does not know the identities of the people who assaulted Malone.
Attorney Rusty Hardin of the law firm Rusty Hardin & Associates, LLP in Houston serves as Harden’s lead counsel.
Harris County 151st District Court Case No. 2016-52944