Los Angeles Lakers point guard Shannon Brown is being sued in civil court for an alleged sex-related incident with a woman in Denver, Brown's agent, Mark Bartelstein confirmed to ESPN's Shelley Smith on Sunday.
Bartelstein said the suit stems from an incident when Brown was playing for the Charlotte Bobcats, who played in Denver on Jan. 30. Brown was traded to the Lakers on Feb. 7. Bartelstein said that within 24-48 hours after the woman filed a police report, Denver police fully investigated her claims and "did not even pursue it. Prosecutors found nothing to pursue."
Bartelstein said the Bobcats were told immediately of the incident and team security staff conducted its own investigation and "came to the same conclusion." In addition, he said Brown also hired a private investigator to look into the woman's claims "to know all the facts."
"There was absolutely nothing to it," Bartelstein said. "I find it very interesting all of a sudden Shannon Brown has some success and someone decides to sue him civilly. People can draw their own conclusions. I stand by Shannon Brown. Everything Shannon has said to me as to what happened, the prosecutor verifies."
Bartelstein said he and Brown first learned of the civil suit when Brown was served papers in Denver on Friday as the Lakers closed out the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals.
The Lakers were not told about the alleged incident during trade talks in February, Bartelstein said, because police never pursued it and they considered it a "nonissue."
Lakers vice president of public relations John Black confirmed that papers were served and said the Lakers consider this a "private legal matter" and would not comment.
