The legal bills just keep coming for Shilo Sanders. While the fallout from his $11 million bankruptcy trial continues to loom large, Sanders has now been slapped with another notice involving nearly $170,000 in unpaid dues, as a case filed against him in June has resurfaced with fresh consequences.
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According to USA Today, in recent months, law firm Barnes & Thornburg LLP has been trying to locate Shilo Sanders to serve civil papers in another lawsuit over unpaid dues. However, they have struggled to find him, even when he was reportedly at home.
Shilo Sanders remained out of reach despite repeated attempts by a process server, as reported by USA Today. The server made at least five visits to Sanders’ Florida residence in June, knocking on the door, calling the residence, and trying everything possible. Despite cars being parked at the residence, they were unable to get a proper response.
On June 8, when they called the residence, a male voice answered the call. However, the person hung up before giving a definitive answer, according to court records. When the process server approached the door, there was “no answer, no noise,” even as a food delivery for Sanders sat waiting on the porch, as reported by USA Today.
The search for Sanders became so difficult for the plaintiff that they sought a November court hearing in Texas to explore alternative methods of notifying him about a lawsuit alleging he owes $170,000 in unpaid legal fees tied to his ongoing bankruptcy case.
Their pursuit finally ended on August 31, when Sanders appeared at bankruptcy court in Denver and was served in the case, according to his father, Deion Sanders.
Time is limited for Shilo Sanders. According to a Texas court citation, Sanders or his legal team must file a formal written response to the lawsuit, and they have just 20 days to do so.
“If you or your attorney do not file a written answer with the clerk who issued this citation by 10 a.m. on the Monday next following the expiration of twenty days after you were served this citation and petition, a default judgment may be taken against you,” the citation read.
Interestingly, before the case even reached the Dallas state court, Barnes & Thornburg had pursued the matter in federal court, where a judge demanded that the firm show good cause for its inability to serve Sanders. The plaintiff then dropped the federal case and refiled it in the state court in July, stating that Sanders “continues to avoid service.”
It’s all connected to Sanders’ lead attorney Victor Vital, whom he hired when the latter was working at Barnes & Thornburg. However, Vital later joined Haynes & Barnes, which made Shilo terminate his relationship with Barnes & Thornburg. But the law firm is now alleging that Deion Sanders’ son never settled his outstanding invoices for services rendered and expenses incurred during his four months with the firm.
This comes on the back of Shilo Sanders’ $11.89 million federal bankruptcy trial in Denver, which started on August 31 and concluded on September 4. The judge has yet to rule on whether the debt can be discharged in bankruptcy.
John Darjean sued Shilo Sanders after he declared bankruptcy rather than pay the $11.89 amount from the default judgement in 2022. The court will now decide whether Sanders acted “willfully and maliciously.” Shilo’s defense maintains that the 2015 incident between him and Darjean, in which the latter was injured, was an act of self-defense.
Meanwhile, on the fourth day of the trial, Darjean suddenly collapsed in the courtroom due to severe pain and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. He was later released the same day.
Following the conclusion of the closing arguments, the trial formally came to an end. Judge Romero gave both parties until mid-November to file their written closing statements, with the final ruling expected in several months.