Here’s all you need to know about the story which grabbed headlines between Shaquille O’Neal and Vanessa Lopez.

In 2010, Shaquille O’Neal was charged by model Vanessa Lopez. According to the Orlando model, the former Lakers center’s alleged ex-mistress lasted more than five years. In her case, she accused Shaquille O’Neal of harassing her, engaging in racketeering, and violating her privacy.

O’Neal harassed Lopez for three and a half months, according to a complaint Lopez and her attorney Gloria Allred made. Numerous scandals off the court have regularly cast a shadow over O’Neal’s illustrious NBA career. In reality, there has been a lot of interest in the 7’1″ giant’s personal life.

A few years ago, during a court deposition, Vanessa Lopez revealed unpleasant information about Shaquille O’Neal; and, the private bedroom information from the former NBA player’s mistress had surfaced. They allegedly dated for five years, but once Lopez informed Shaq she was expecting, he allegedly turned on her, sending his “henchmen” and two sisters to harass and threaten her.

Shaq married Shaunie O’Neal in December 2002, contrary to Lopez’s earlier assertion that he told her he had an “open marriage.” In 1996, Shaq came to Los Angeles after inking a contract worth an unprecedented $120 million. O’Neal quickly stole the limelight in LA’s flashy social scene as the center of the Lakers’ organization. However, he did draw a lot of attention and criticism from the press.

Was Shaquille O’Neal at fault in this situation?

The woman said that after learning of her pregnancy, Shaq reportedly started hiring others to harass her. According to Lopez, the NBA player hired hackers to access her emails and personal correspondence. On the other hand, Shaq vehemently denied her accusations, and the court appeared to be on his side. A Florida court ruled on the case in favour of the four-time NBA champion in 2013, finding that Miss Lopez had made a number of claims that were both untrue and misleading.

Following Shaq’s 2013 filing of a restraining order against Lopez, Gloria Allred, Vanessa’s own attorney, submitted paperwork to withdraw from the case. Vanessa’s lawsuit never progressed. Documents that RadarOnline was able to get show that Allred believed Lopez had engaged in dishonest or illegal activity. The unpleasant bedroom details persisted even though nothing came of the lawsuit.

Vanessa Lopez’s ex-boyfriend had forbidden her from seeing him, it came out. She lied to the court when she stated that she knew that. NBA player Kenyon Martin once compared it to swiping his credit card. When O’Neal was linked to three other NBA players at the time, Lopez and her attorney chose not to respond to any questions. Shaq’s relationship with Lopez and his ex-partner Shawn Darling ended up being devastating for him professionally.

The Judiciary Report predicted Lopez would have credibility problems at the outset of this case. As the case progressed, Lopez lied about details that further damaged her credibility, such as secretly charging $10,000 worth of jewelry and clothing to basketball player Kenyon Martin’s credit card while he was sleeping after having sex with him in a hotel room.

Shaquille O’Neal and an endless loop of court appearances

A Disneyworld employee reported Shaq to the police in 1998, saying he grabbed her from behind and wouldn’t let go after she rejected his advances. The witness stopped cooperating, so the district attorney decided not to press the matter. Shaq wed Shaunie Nelson in 2002, and the two went on to have five children together before divorcing in 2008 after eight years of marriage.

Shaq often strayed on his then-wife during their marriage, and in 2007 he started dating Atlanta-based rapper Alexis Miller, better known by her stage name MaryJane. Until 2008, when Miller filed for a restraining order against O’Neal for stalking and threatening her, the two were together.

Her claims had some merit. Shawn Darling, an ex-con, and well-known computer nerd was supposedly recruited by Shaq soon after their relationship turned sour. Later, Shawn would say in court that he had irrefutable proof that Shaq had hired him to remove all threatening emails from his computer so that Miller could not use them against him. 

His former supervisor allegedly gave him instructions on how to hack into voicemail, text, and email conversations, according to MiamiNewTimes.com. Even if it could appear like a sufficiently scandalous narrative now, this is far from the finish.

Vanessa has already expressed concern for her safety. If that is the case, it was probably not a good idea to make the humiliating transcripts available to the general public.

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