Deion Sanders’ middle son, Shilo, is facing another legal challenge while still navigating his ongoing bankruptcy case. Barnes & Thornburg LLP, the firm that previously represented the former Colorado safety, has refiled a lawsuit seeking roughly $170,000 in allegedly unpaid legal fees.

The refiling comes weeks after the firm voluntarily dropped its federal lawsuit without prejudice in May 2026. After dismissing that case, Barnes & Thornburg moved the breach-of-contract dispute to the Texas state court. Following lead attorney Victor Vital’s departure from Barnes & Thornburg for Haynes & Boone, the former Buff terminated the firm’s representation and followed his attorney to the new firm.

However, Barnes & Thornburg represented Sanders between May and August 2024 and claims it is still owed payment for services rendered during that period.

According to court filings obtained by USA Today Sports, the firm previously sued Sanders in federal court in November 2024, claiming he owed $164,285 in legal fees and related costs. The new filing increases the amount sought to roughly $170,000 and also requests trial damages.

“Despite Mr. Sanders’s clear duty to pay the Outstanding Debt, he has refused to pay Plaintiff, and Mr. Sanders’s account remains unpaid,” read the new complaint, obtained by USA Today Sports.

“The firm delivered the legal services and incurred the costs reflected in the Invoices between May 1, 2024, and August 26, 2024, based on the Agreement,” the old court record read. “Sanders, however, failed to pay the amounts reflected in the Invoices presented to him, and has not tendered payment in response to Plaintiff’s efforts to obtain payment on the outstanding invoices.”

The dispute adds to Sanders’ ongoing financial challenges. The former Buff is already navigating a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case filed in October 2023, through which he is attempting to discharge an $11.89 million debt stemming from a 2015 incident that occurred when he was 15 years old.

During a cell phone confiscation, Shilo allegedly assaulted his former high school security guard, John Darjean. That even caused a permanent spinal injury, but until 2022, the case didn’t go to trial. When it did, Shilo Sanders failed to appear, and following that, a default judgment was awarded to the security guard. However, the amount would be less if Coach Prime were not involved.

A big revelation regarding Shilo Sanders’ bankruptcy case

Shilo Sanders was the reason behind the 2015 school incident, but the amount could be less if his father, Deion Sanders, hadn’t disrespected John Darjean. The former high school security guard claimed it during an interview. Deion called Darjean a “real life grifter” while speaking to TMZ in 2016.

“I would have taken something,” said Darjean earlier this year.

“I was thinking Deion was man enough to say, ‘Hey, here’s $200,000. I know my son messed your neck up. You’re damaged.’ Later on down the line, after he defamed my name, I wanted $100 million because I was that (expletive) off.”

On August 31, 2026, the trial in Shilo’s bankruptcy case is scheduled and is expected to last five days. If Deion Sanders’ son wins, the multi-million-dollar debt will be legally discharged. Otherwise, he will have to pay the full amount. For now, only a court decision will determine whether Shilo has to pay that hefty sum.