Antonio Brown Ordered to Appear in Miami Court as Part of Civil Lawsuit

Former Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has been ordered by a Miami judge to appear in court [...]

By John Newby

Former Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has been ordered by a Miami judge to appear in court for a deposition on Tuesday morning. The appearance is part of a civil lawsuit alleging that he trashed a multi-million dollar condominium in 2018.

According to attorney Daniel Wallach, the deposition, which will be videotaped, was originally scheduled for May 22, 2019. Brown sought a protective order that was later denied in August.

At that point, his attorney allegedly attempted to delay the deposition due to Brown's "crazy schedule" as an NFL player. This led to the current order by the judge.

This situation stems from a 2018 lawsuit that was filed by the owners of The Mansions at Acqualina in Miami's Sunny Isles Beach. Brown was leasing a fully-furnished $35,000 apartment during the offseason as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the owner claimed that the receiver severely damaged the unit. Also, there were reports that Brown refused to pay for the damages.

"The apartment was in shambles," George Minski, the lawyer representing the condo's owner said according to Fowler. "Mirrors were smashed, tables were destroyed, there were holes and damages to the walls. Countertops were lifted off the deck.

"The unit is furnished with leather couches and love seats, and there were burn holes and black magic markers. It looked like they had rumbled. We tried to resolve it amicably and it got nowhere so we filed a lawsuit."

This condo was also the source of another lawsuit against Brown. In 2018, a man named Ophir Sternberg filed a suit against Brown for assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress, claiming that the receiver threw several pieces of furniture off of the balcony of his 14th-story luxury apartment in Miami. These pieces of furniture allegedly came close to hitting a toddler.

"It has now been made public that two lawsuits containing false claims have been filed against me," Brown said at the time according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "The facts will soon come out that prove my innocence. My focus will remain on football and I will not let the cases serve as a distraction."

After proclaiming his innocence in the two cases, Brown later reached a settlement agreement with Sternberg in mid-April 2019. Details were not provided, but both parties were reportedly satisfied with the agreement.

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