Shelby County Court Circuit Judge Carol Chumney ruled that Ja Morant acted in self-defense during a pickup basketball game at his parents’ home in 2022. The judge cited Tennessee law on self-defense and noted that Morant “enjoys a presumption of civil immunity.” The judge also stated that the only provocateur in the situation was the plaintiff, Joshua Holloway, who was accused of aggressively throwing a basketball at Morant, sparking the altercation. Mike Miller, a former NBA player who witnessed the incident, testified that Holloway hitting Morant in the face with the basketball started the confrontation.
Holloway accused Morant of assaulting him during the pickup game when he was invited to play at the private court of the Morant family. Morant claimed he was defending himself after Holloway threw the basketball at him in a check-ball situation, leading him to feel threatened by Holloway’s aggressive behavior. Morant’s childhood friend, Davonte Pack, also got involved in the altercation and was charged with misdemeanor assault, although Morant was not charged criminally. The December hearing focused on Morant’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit under Tennessee’s stand your ground law, which allows individuals to act with force when feeling threatened in their homes.
The ruling mentioned testimony that Holloway had been allowed inside the Morant home to watch TV, play video games, or help himself to food. Morant suffered a season-ending injury to his right shoulder in January and required surgery, following a suspension by the NBA for the first 25 games of the season due to a video showing him with a handgun online. Morant had previously been suspended for another video showing him with a handgun in a strip club. He apologized for both incidents, and the legal proceedings regarding the altercation during the pickup game have now concluded.
Overall, the judge’s ruling found that Morant acted in self-defense during the confrontation with Holloway at his parents’ home. The evidence presented during the hearing supported the claim that Holloway provoked the altercation by throwing the basketball at Morant, leading to a physical altercation that involved Morant’s friend, Davonte Pack. Morant’s lawyers successfully argued that he is immune from liability under Tennessee’s stand your ground law, which allows individuals to defend themselves in certain situations. The lawsuit filed by Holloway has now been dismissed, and the legal issue has been resolved.
