Anna Caplan
Last year, Moses Malone Jr. allegedly posted some harsh words about the Houston Rockets’ James Harden on Facebook, which he said triggered his beating and robbery outside a strip club.
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Malone, the son of the Hall of Famer and former Rockets player Moses Malone, apparently wrote a critical post about Harden.
Regarding the situation now, he says he believes he is the victim of a setup, lured to the club on Richmond where a crowd with guns reportedly began the beating.
This week, Malone, 38, testified during the first day of the assault trial of Darian Blount, the security manager at the west Houston strip club, V Live.
Moses Malone Jr. testifies against bouncer on trial for assault because of Facebook post https://t.co/wWgClKdiOA pic.twitter.com/wrkGowgukZ
— Heather Leighton (@loveheathernoel) December 5, 2017
Prosecutors allege Blount coordinated the attack on Malone, with Harden reportedly waiting inside.
They said the situation all resulted from a Facebook post, where Malone criticized Harden’s association with a $250 two-day basketball camp; Malone wrote how he believed the Rockets’ powerhouse should be helping underprivileged kids instead of hosting the private event many Houstonians would not be able to afford.
According to Malone’s testimony, he said Harden apparently didn’t like the post, and maintains it is what led to the beating.
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Malone said his cell phone and jewelry, valued at $50,000, would also be stolen in the incident.
Police reportedly later arrested Blount and three other men, and the cases against Kavon Boutte, 27, and Oscar Wattell, 26, are currently pending.
After a grand jury found a lack of evidence in the case, prosecutors dismissed the charges against Deavon Lewis, 21.
However, in a separate suit, Malone said he is seeking retribution from Harden, claiming the Rockets forward paid Blount $20,000 to set up the fight.
Malone is seeking $3 million in damages, but, given the grand jury decision for Lewis in the separate case, his case may not be a slam dunk.
