A Detroit businessman is suing NBA superstar LeBron James for allegedly stealing a barbershop talk-style show.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court by Adventure Enterprises and The Social Club Grooming Company, sues Lebron James, Maverick Carter and Cree Nix over the Uninterrupted show, "The Shop."
According to the lawsuit, Sebastian Jackson created The Social Club, located on Wayne State University, which is a dual-purpose barbershop and content studio where not only do they cut hair but also have discussions.
The lawsuit states that Jackson created the "Shop Talk" program which had local and national guests talking about stories and more while getting their haircut.
Jackson says in the lawsuit that between 2014 and 2016, he had discussions with Nix, who worked for Uninterrupted, about an opportunity to expand Shop Talk. The lawsuit also says that Jackson had discussions in November 2016 with Marcus Collins, an associate of Uninterrupted, about using Shop Talk on major networks.
According to the lawsuit, Adventure Enterprises discovered in December 2016 that Uninterrupted started broadcasting its own show, called "The Shop," featuring James having conversations in a barbershop.
The lawsuit also mentions that Uninterrupted said "The Shop" was a one-time thing, but claims that it wasn't and that there are at least three episodes on the Uninterrupted website, including one that aired during the NBA Finals.
Earlier this month, Uninterrupted sent cease and desist letters to the University of Alabama, claiming that the university's use of "Shop Talk" infringed on their trademark of "The Shop" after Head Football Coach Nick Saban was featured in the article.
You can read the entire lawsuit below.
Detroit businessman sues LeBron James over show by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
