At the young age of 21, #NaomiOsaka is already a force to reckon with. She recently beat out the great #SerenaWilliams at the #USOpen to be the reigning women’s champion, and is currently ranked number 1 in the world!
It’s safe to say she has a promising, long, and successful career ahead of her, and her former coach wants to make sure he’s going to eat too. Naomi’s ex coach, #ChristopheJean, is suing for 20% of her career earnings for the rest of her life, according to @tmz_tv.
In the lawsuit, Jean alleges that Naomi’s father hired him to work with Naomi and her sister Mari back in 2011, when Naomi was only 13. He also claims that Naomi’s father signed a contract way back then that promises him 20% of her career earnings, because Naomi’s father allegedly couldn’t pay his rates at the time.
Naomi’s attorney Alex Spiro says Jean’s claim is “absurd.” “While it comes as no surprise that Naomi’s meteoric rise as an international icon and inspiration would lead to some false claim, this silly ‘contract’ that Naomi never saw or signed — which purports to give away part of herself at the age of 14 — is particularly absurd…This case has no merit and we will move past it.”
Jean claims in the lawsuit that because Naomi’s father couldn’t pay the rates, they made the deal to ensure he’d get paid in the future, allegedly agreeing to accept 20% of Naomi and Mari’s tennis prize money and endorsement deals forever.
Jean claims he has a copy of the contract where Naomi’s father agrees that the term of the deal is “indefinite.” It’s included in Jean’s suit, filed in state court in Florida.
Naomi has reportedly made a little more than $10 million during her career, and that’s not including endorsement money! So let’s just say Jean is trying to get his $2-million cut for now.
We’ll keep you posted on this one, Roommates.
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
