Overview
- Ballmer’s attorneys filed a demurrer seeking to remove him from the Aspiration investors’ case, with a Los Angeles County Superior Court hearing set for March 9.
- The motion calls the allegations “sensational” and “patently false,” says the complaint mirrors a Pablo Torre podcast, and contends plaintiffs added Ballmer in a search for deep pockets.
- Plaintiffs’ amended complaint from Nov. 3 alleges Ballmer supported Joseph Sanberg’s fraud and that they would not have invested had they known the purported purpose of Ballmer’s investment.
- The NBA is separately investigating potential salary-cap circumvention involving Aspiration and a $28 million Leonard endorsement; Ballmer and the Clippers deny wrongdoing and say they are cooperating.
- Context includes the 2021 Clippers–Aspiration $300 million sponsorship, Ballmer’s reported $50 million investment, Aspiration’s 2022 Leonard deal, the company’s bankruptcy and rebrand to Catona, Sanberg’s October guilty plea with sentencing on Feb. 23, and court records showing Catona owes the Clippers $30.1 million and Leonard’s entity $7 million.