A judge on Monday ruled that Ja Morant, point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, fairly raised self-defense in the trial pertaining to him punching a teen during a heated altercation.
“Shelby County Circuit Judge Carol Chumney ruled Monday that Morant acted in self-defense when he punched then-17-year-old Joshua Holloway in the summer of 2022,” according to the New York Post.
“In the altercation, Holloway allegedly was frustrated at losing multiple games and in a “check-ball situation” threw the ball one-handed and hit Morant in the face,” it continued. “Morant then landed a punch on Holloway, and Morant’s friend Davonte Pack proceeded to punch Holloway as well.”
Ja Morant, #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies, looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Five of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at FedExForum on April 26, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
The charges of misdemeanor assault filed against Pack were later dropped. Holloway filed a civil suit against Morant in 2022.
According to ESPN, the ruling “comes after a December 2023 civil immunity hearing in Memphis, where Morant testified that he ‘swung first’ at Joshua Holloway, then 17, to protect himself during an altercation that led to Holloway filing a September 2022 lawsuit accusing Morant of assault.”
The lawsuit hung over Morant, 24, during a muddled 2023-24 season that began with him serving a 25-game suspension issued by the NBA for conduct deemed detrimental to the league.
That suspension came after a video circulated on social media in May 2023 showing Morant brandishing a firearm. He previously had been suspended eight games in March 2023 after he posted an Instagram Live video in which he held up a handgun while at a Denver nightclub.
Morant apologized for both incidents.
Judge Carol Chumney argued that Morant “enjoys a presumption of civil immunity under Tennessee’s self-defense immunity statute, putting the burden of proof on Holloway’s legal team.
“We’re disappointed, and we will continue to take the steps necessary to protect and advocate for Joshua,” Holloway’s attorney, Rebecca Adelman, told ESPN.
Morant’s attorneys have not issued a statement on the matter.
