Le’Veon Bell Claims He Was Not Aware Of Cousin’s Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

Le’Veon Bell faced some nasty accusations in his cousin’s sexual abuse lawsuit and was recently ordered to pay her $25 million in damages for it. Here’s the twist: the three-time Pro Bowler claims he didn’t know the case even existed.

As first reported in People, the former NFL star and his brother La’Vonte were sued by their cousin for “ongoing incestual relations” that began when she was “six to seven years old” and continued “through at least 2017.” The alleged victim says that the interactions were not consensual but occurred so often that they felt habitual. She also alleges she experienced “extreme and ongoing mental anguish and distress.”

This past October, a judge issued a default judgment request for trial by jury in order to determine how much Bell would have to pay his cousin. Last month, the 33-year-old footballer was required to pay $20 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages; his cousin was responsible for $11 million and $50,000, respectively.

Le’Veon Bell and his lawyers both claimed that he was not aware that any of this litigation was taking place. “I just found out this was brewing up maybe about two days ago,” he said in a Twitch stream this past Tuesday. “Do y’all think Le’Veon Bell, do I need to force myself upon a woman? Anybody? Do I need to force myself upon them? I don’t… I put this on my life. I put this on all my [kids’ lives], my mom’s life, I put this on everything, I never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever pushed myself on a girl when she ain’t want that sh*t. Never… I’ve never forced myself on nobody. I got my pick of the litter.”

He claimed that he financially supported his cousin for a long time, specifically rent and other expenses, but she was disgruntled when he stopped paying for things for her. Bell claimed that she told him, “we’re gonna see who the bad guy is,” and went on to create false allegations against him. He said that he never received the subpoena and believes his signature on the paperwork was forged.

His attorney, Timothy Shaffer, echoed the sentiment. “My client adamantly denies any and all allegations that have been lodged against him. Further, he was never served with a civil complaint or any documents,” he told TMZ. “The default judgment granted was based upon violations of his Fifth Amendment rights of due process for failing to be served… My client is in the process of filing a motion to open and reverse the default judgment because the merits of the case have never been litigated.”