A Franklin County, Ohio, jury reportedly awarded $25 million in damages against former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell in February 2025, with a separate $11 million award against his brother, La’Vonte Bell. Bell’s attorney denied the plaintiff’s allegations and disputed whether Bell was properly served. The reported award followed a default judgment and a later damages proceeding; the available reporting does not establish the current status of Bell’s planned challenge.
What the jury reportedly awarded
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that a Franklin County jury ruled on February 26, 2025, that Le’Veon Bell owed the plaintiff $25 million. The jury separately awarded $11 million against La’Vonte Bell. That second award was against Le’Veon Bell’s brother, not an additional amount awarded against Le’Veon Bell.
This is a civil damages judgment, not a criminal conviction. The allegations underlying the suit are the plaintiff’s claims; the cited reports do not establish them as independently proven facts.
How the case reached a damages award
According to NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk and TMZ, the plaintiff filed suit in March 2024, a default judgment was entered in October 2024, and a later proceeding addressed damages. ProFootballTalk reported that the damages trial took place in Bell’s absence.
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A default judgment and a damages proceeding are not the same as a contested trial on liability. The available accounts do not establish that the allegations were tested in a contested liability trial.
What Bell’s attorney denied—and what is disputed about service
Bell’s attorney, Thomas Shaffer, denied the allegations and challenged whether Bell had been properly served with the suit. The Post-Gazette quoted Shaffer in March 2025: “I’m drafting a motion to strike, to open the judgment, because of the improper service,”
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That statement describes the attorney’s position, not a court finding. The plaintiff’s lawyer, John Camillus, maintained that Bell was served, WOSU reported. The question of service was therefore disputed in the reporting.
What is known about a possible challenge
WOSU reported that Shaffer said he would try to have the judgment set aside. The cited reports do not establish whether a motion was later filed or how the court ruled on any challenge. Without a verified later court record, it would be inaccurate to characterize the judgment as currently final, reversed, or still awaiting a decision.
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What the reports say about criminal charges
WOSU reported on March 13, 2025, that neither Bell brother had been criminally charged as of that date. That is a time-specific report, not confirmation of their status today.
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