Lawyers for Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant will be allowed to argue Morant acted in self defense in regard to a lawsuit accusing him of assaulting a teenager during a pickup basketball game, according to the Associated Press.
Circuit Court Judge Carol Chumney, who ruled on the matter Thursday, scheduled a Dec. 11 hearing for the lawyers of Morant and 18-year-old Joshua Holloway to deliberate on whether Morant would be immune from liability for the crime under Tennessee law.
Morant's lawyers have stated the Grizzlies guard punched Holloway once after Holloway hit Morant in the chin with a basketball. They also motioned that Morant should be immune from being convicted under Tennessee's "stand your ground" law, which states that people can use force when they feel threatened in their own homes.
The pickup basketball game look place at Morant's Memphis-area home.
Holloway was just 17 years old when the lawsuit was initially filed. Within the lawsuit, Morant and his friend, Davonte Pack, are accused of assault, reckless endangerment, abuse or neglect, and infliction of emotional distress.
Morant filed a countersuit in the case accusing Holloway of slander, battery and assault. No criminal charges have been filed against Morant, but Pack was charged with misdemeanor assault in a case that will be heard Tuesday in criminal court.
The NBA suspended Morant for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season after a video of him brandishing a gun in a vehicle was posted to social media. That ban came after Morant served an eight-game suspension in March for another gun-brandishing incident in a Denver-area strip club.
