Former NBA player Dwight Howard has been hit by another lawsuit, taking the total to three in the past month. Louis Pellegrino has filed suit against Howard and his company, 12-Bray. According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline, Pellegrino was hired by Howard in 2020. Pellegrino's mother had reportedly worked for Howard as a nanny. However, Pellegrino alleges that 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.” This was due to Howard's estate in Georgia being hugely understaffed.
Furthermore, Pellegrino alleges that the demands of the job forced him to move onto Howard's property, where he would work 20-hour days without days off. Pellegrino agreed to a $750 per week probationary wage, with Howard promising that Pellegrino would be moved to an $80,000 annual salary after that period. However, Pellegrino claims he never received the pay rise. “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 lawsuit states.
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Howard Hit With Defamation Claims
However, Pellegrino's claims do not merely relate to unfair labor practices. The former employee has also accused Howard of defamation. Pellegrino claims that Howard would warn guests "not to trust" Pellegrino after learning he was friends with Howard's ex, Melissa Rios. Furthermore, Pellegrino claims he was baselessly accused of theft by Howard. According to the lawsuit, Howard had tasked Pellegrino with taking a $250,000 engagement ring out for repairs. However, Pellegrino was unable to locate the ring. Howard subsequently accused Pellegrino of stealing the ring, according to the lawsuit. Despite this, Pellegrino claims that Howard still tasked him with errands relating to his expensive jewelry.
Pellegrino claims that he was fired without cause in January 2022. “Moreover, Howard falsely accused Pellegrino of engaging in a secret relationship with Cooper," the suit claims. Howard has denied all wrongdoing in the case. “To the extent [Pellegrino] worked more than his scheduled hours, he did so without [Howards’] actual or constructive knowledge and in violation of [Howards’] policies,” his attorney claimed. At the time of writing, Howard is seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed.
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