Dwight Howard Settles Court Battle With Ex-butler Who Sued NBA Star for Allegedly Telling Staff He Stole $250k Ring
Aug. 14 2023, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Dwight Howard has one less legal problem to worry about after he reached a confidential agreement with his former butler who sued the ex-NBA star over unpaid wages and defamation, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Howard’s former employee, Louis Pellegrino, has informed the court he hashed out a deal with Howard and will be dismissing all claims.
The filing read, “Plaintiff and Defendants, by and through their undersigned counsel, and hereby notify the Court that the Parties have reached a settlement. The Parties expect to finalize and execute the formal Settlement Agreement within fifteen (15) days from the date of this Joint Notice of Settlement. Once settlement has been completed, Plaintiff will file a voluntary dismissal with prejudice of this action.”
As RadarOnline.com first reported, last year, Pellegrino sued Howard and the basketball pro’s company 12-Bray LLC. He claimed in 2020 he was referred to Howard for a job by his mother, who has worked as a nanny for the NBA star.
Pellegrino said when he started to work for Howard, the basketball star did not have a butler or security, so he was tasked with providing “butler/concierge, security, shopping, car/property maintenance, shipping, pet care, and pool duties, as well as other personal duties and assignments from Howard and Estate guests.”
In addition, he said he was instructed to set up video games, serve tea, and retrieve food for guests. He was paid $750 per week but was promised an increase to $80k annually, the lawsuit alleged.
Pellegrino said he was often praised for his hard work.
Despite his dedication, Pellegrino said he never received the promised salary.
The ex-employee said despite his hard work, Howard refused to pay him the agreed-upon salary after the probationary period.
“Often, Howard responded that Pellegrino would be paid as promised once Howard changed banks and accountants. However, Howard and 12-Bray never compensated Pellegrino at the agreed-upon annual salary and/or FLSA-mandated rates,” the suit claimed.
To make matters worse, he said Howard turned on him after finding out he was friends with one of his exes, Melissa Rios. He said the ex-NBA star created a “hostile” work environment by spreading lies about him to his co-workers.
The suit said the situation got worse, “following an out-of-control late-night party, Howard began to target and blame Pellegrino for any and all incidents occurring at the Estate.”
At the height of the pandemic, Pellegrino said Howard invited his fiancé Te’A Cooper — along with the mothers of his various children, so-called friends, and other associates to reside at the estate. In total, Pellegrino said there were about 30 people with access to the home.
“Without cause or justification, Howard falsely accused Pellegrino of theft,” the suit read. Pellegrino said he was told to retrieve a $250k engagement ring from a car and take it to be repaired. However, he claimed to have been unable to find the ring in the car.
After telling his boss, he allegedly continued to look for the ring for weeks. He claimed the ex-NBA star then began blaming him for the ring being missing.
Despite allegedly accusing him of stealing, Pellegrino said Howard continued to let him handle his expensive jewelry collection.
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Pellegrino said he companied about his pay to Howard’s assistant. Soon after, he said he was terminated in January 2022.
The ex-employee said after he was fired, Howard continued to defame him by claiming he stole the engagement ring.
Howard denied all allegations of wrongdoing. He argued Pellegrino was paid properly and was not defamed.
As RadarOnline.com first reported, Howard still faces a lawsuit brought by a man who claims to have been assaulted by the ex-NBA star after meeting on Instagram.
Howard has denied the claims but has yet to respond officially in court.
