Rick Carlisle Settles Civil Lawsuit, Avoids Trial

A civil lawsuit in which Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was the defendant has been “resolved to the satisfaction of both parties” and a dismissal is approaching, according to attorneys for both sides.

The solution is helping to avoid a tough test that was scheduled for April 28, 2025, which would last the entire first round of the NBA playoffs.

Former agent Jarinn Akana filed a lawsuit in December 2023 alleging that Carlisle breached his promise and breached his oath by refusing to pay the fee owed to the agent for negotiating the extension of the coach’s oath that he used to sign with the Dallas Mavericks in 2018. The Life at the trial was hectic after events failed to reach a mediation agreement over the summer, according to court documents.

The settlement was reached Wednesday afternoon, shortly after ESPN reported on the lawsuit and the proceedings of the trial.

According to the lawsuit, Carlisle wrote a request dated January 1, 2019 to Akana for $200,000 due to the reduced initial fee on the extension, which used to be $8 million per year, and then refused to pay the fee. in reference to years. The lawsuit alleges that Carlisle threatened to document Akana for violating the National Basketball Players Association’s rules governing player agents (prohibiting agents from simultaneously representing players and coaches) “despite being complicit in Akana take such action on your behalf.”

In response to the lawsuit, Carlisle issued a blanket denial of all allegations, stating that they are “not true in whole or in part.”

The lawsuit alleges that Carlisle, the former president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, asked Akana to act as his representative following the unexpected death of agent Dan Fegan, with whom Akana had worked. The lawsuit alleges that Carlisle had hired Fegan, who had a long list of player buyers, to renegotiate the coach’s oath with the Mavericks before the agent’s death.

According to the lawsuit, Carlisle was first correct in paying Akana a three percent fee, similar to the terms of the coach’s agreement with Fegan, before offering a lower percentage when the first annual fee was due. The lawsuit claims Akana allowed the lower ratio “in light of the initial work done by her mentor and to avoid future disputes.”

Carlisle resigned from the Mavericks in June 2021 following the third season of the five-year oath. He used to be leased through the Pacers that offseason.

Carlisle, 64, ranks 12th in NBA history in wins with a record of 943-828. After rebuilding the previous two years, the Pacers went 47-35 last season and reached the Japanese Conference finals, marking the first time one of Carlisle’s teams made the playoffs since the 2011 championship in the Mavericks.