Kyrie Irving, star player of the Dallas Mavericks and eight-time NBA All-Star, is facing a court battle at the moment. Celebrity therapist Natasha McCartney and health and wellness firm Elite Mind Solutions sued the NBA guard for the alleged non-payment of almost $390,000 for services provided to him during a family retreat in North Dakota last summer.
McCartney accuses Irving of breaching the agreement over his failure to pay for wellness workshops, crisis management, and grief counseling in connection with a tragic incident during the event.
Unpaid Services and Crisis Intervention
The retreat, held from June 28 to July 2, was initially planned for 50-60 attendees but unexpectedly grew to 150 participants. According to TMZ Sports, McCartney, a licensed therapist, provided an extensive range of services, including:
- Daily mindfulness sessions at $5,500 each.
- Non-violent communication classes and intuitive life readings totaling $34,000.
- Coordination of branding elements, costing over $100,000.
On June 30, tragedy struck when one of the participants suddenly died. McCartney immediately shifted her role to crisis intervention. She engaged in grief counseling, managed contacts with law enforcement, and made secretive arrangements to avoid Irving's appearance in the media.
Billing and Allegations
McCartney presented invoices amounting to $390,710 for her services. These included crisis intervention fees of $140,000. Even though the two have had a long professional relationship since 2020, McCartney says Irving has refused to pay, leading her to file a breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and fraud lawsuit against him.
Irving Did Not Fulfill His Financial Obligations
The legal team of McCartney says the case is very straightforward, insisting that Irving agreed to certain terms but did not fulfill his financial obligations.
"After making direct contact with Kyrie Irving and his associates, Mr. Irving put it all off on his supporting cast," McCarthney's attorney, Michael Faragalla said on Monday afternoon.
"He even failed to pick up the phone and call Natasha McCartney, so he didn't make any effort to resolve [the situation] prior to the actual filing [of the lawsuit]. Of course, he had an attorney retained, and of course, his manager and his agent got involved and made several insulting offers, but Kyrie Irving himself never personally tried to make amends."
Kyrie Irving's History of Controversy
Known for his polarizing public stances, such as anti-vaccination rhetoric and conspiracy theories, Irving is not new to controversy.
Despite his success on the court, including a 2016 NBA Championship and a $40 million salary for the 2024-2025 season, this legal dispute adds another chapter to his tumultuous career.
According to The Independent, Irving has three weeks to file a formal response, but both parties are so far dug in that the case highlights an important aspect of combining professional dealings and celebrity clients.
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