As Pawn Stars personality Rick Harrison is embroiled in a legal battle with mom Joanne Harrison over the family trust, his mother has asked for a temporary restraining order against her son. In documents filed Monday in Clark County District Court, the 81-year-old Harrison matriarch sought to block Rick from “siphoning” or stopping $25,000 payments to her, concealing cash or assets, or taking actions that would diminish her interest in the family’s businesses, reports Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS-TV.
“While Rick enjoys his comfortable life as a celebrity firmly in control of all the family businesses and finances, Joanne is left frightened, and unsure of if she will have enough resources to pay for her considerable medical and personal expenses each month,” her request for a restraining order reads. “More specifically, Joanne is 81 years old and suffers from a number of health issues which require twenty-four-hour care and supervision. If Rick were to again arbitrarily cut off Joanne’s monthly income, it would place Joanne at immediate and serious risk of irreparable medical harm, which by definition cannot be remedied by money damages at the conclusion of this litigation.”
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Joanne officially sued her son late last month, but lawyers have reportedly been involved since September when she threatened to end her son’s involvement in the family trust. In emails obtained by KLAS, Joanne makes it clear she wants more money than the sporadic payments that totaled $85,000 in 2020, citing concerns about paying for her medical care, which she said costs about $15,000 a month.
Joanne also suggests in court documents that Rick has been moving her money without her permission after the death of her husband, Richard “Old Man” Harrison in 2018, including taking out a $3 million loan using her assets as collateral. Joanne says she’s been entitled to more than has been paid to her, pointing out that while the family trust continued to receive a sizable amount in 2020, despite Gold & Silver Pawn Shop took a big hit during the pandemic, Rick received more. She continued that as the pawn shop’s net income fell from $1.9 million in 2019 to just $37,406 in 2020, her $25,000/month payments began to dry up, which she said began before the pandemic hit.ย
Rick told KLAS that he thinks someone is driving his mother’s decisions in this legal battle, saying through a spokesperson, “I think my mother is being manipulated by others who are not looking out for her best interests. …I’ve tried to reach her numerous times over the last several months and am unable to do so. In fact, one of the companies she is suing is owned 100% by my mother.”
