Antonio Brown settled a small claims lawsuit filed in California by a personal trainer — in the midst of his larger battle with sexual assault allegations, according to a new report.
Brown — who was cut by the New England Patriots late last month — was named in a suit filed by Sean Pena, who worked with Brown over the summer in Alameda County, California, the Bay Area News Group reported.
In the suit, filed on July 31, Pena claimed Brown owed him $7,194.81 in “unpaid therapy and training services” and “agreed-upon reimbursement for hotels, airfare, rental car” dating back to April as the receiver prepared for the NFL season, according to the report.
Attorneys for both Brown and Pena told the outlet that they had reached a confidential resolution ahead of a trial date scheduled for Wednesday.
The hearing, in turn, will be pulled from the calendar and Brown will not have to appear in court.
Both sides initially seemed prepared for a court battle.
“My client is pissed because he stiffed him and ghosted him, was being evasive, and then next thing you know Brown is in Paris buying a Richard Mille watch, so it’s just a complete insult,” Pena’s attorney, Michael Daniel Kolodzi, told Sports Illustrated.
But Brown’s attorney, Darren Heitner, argued otherwise.
“Mr. Brown has already paid the plaintiff everything that he was due,” Heitner told TMZ Sports. “The plaintiff has no foundation for coming after Mr. Brown, and we will ensure that this case is disposed of quickly.”
Both lawyers were tight-lipped Tuesday, outside of acknowledging that the matter had been resolved, according to the Bay Area paper.
Meanwhile, Brown is entrenched in a federal suit filed by another former trainer, Britney Taylor, who claims the receiver sexually assaulted her twice in 2017 and raped her in 2018 while he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brown has denied those allegations, and the NFL is investigating.