EXCLUSIVE
The half-brother of Australian NBA star Ben Simmons has not paid his lawyer after successfully clearing his name over claims he sexually assaulted his half-sister.
Player agent Sean Tribe is being sued for more than $100,000 in legal fees he incurred when he sued Olivia Simmons over her claims that he abused her when she was a child.
Tribe, 38, launched “urgent” proceedings against Ms Simmons, 33, for defamation in 2021 after she accused him of abusing her at their family home in Melbourne.
But despite winning Tribe’s case, his high-profile legal team says his bill remains unpaid years after the pivotal legal victory, despite Tribe’s mega-rich basketball star relative.
The law firm – which wishes to remain unnamed – has now launched a new lawsuit against Tribe in Sydney to recover their costs, believed to be in excess of $100,000.
Tribe has not yet filed a defense in the civil suit, according to court records.
The case does not yet have a date for listing but is expected to be heard at the Downing Center in Sydney.
Player agent Sean Tribe (center) next to his half-siblings Ben (left) and Olivia (right)
Sean Tribe is the older half-brother of NBA superstar Ben Simmons
Failure to pay a judgment may result in bankruptcy or recovery proceedings in the United States.
It is believed that an application has been made for substituted service of process on Tribe, who is now based in the US where he lives and works.
The 2021 legal drama played out in the Federal Court of Australia before Judge Michael Lee, following a series of tweets published earlier that year by Ms Simmons, the sister of basketball export, Ben, who described the judge as “apparently famous ‘.
During the trial, Judge Lee – who also presided over Bruce Lehramnn’s recent defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa WIlkinson – had to make orders preventing the mother-of-two from posting further details about the ‘serious allegations’ until the case was finally decided .
Simmons was represented by pro bono attorney Sheila Kaur Bain, who is now a Federal Circuit Court judge.
Ms Simmons, who also played basketball in the US for the Arizona State Sun Devils, made her false accusations against her half-brother in a series of messages uploaded to Twitter.
‘I’m tired of this facade just because my brother is famous. Real life things happen and I will never be afraid to speak up because money can’t control me,” she wrote.
‘I have asked for therapy, but my family prefers to sweep it under the carpet because it could damage my brother’s name.
“I’ve had PTSD ever since.”
Sue Chrysanthou, a well-known defamation lawyer, was recruited to represent Tribe in court. He described him as a “hard-working Australian” in Philadelphia who was part of his star half-brother’s management team while playing for the 76ers.
Ms Chrysanthou told the court: ‘The allegations about Mr Tribe are extremely serious and are being made on a medium, Twitter, which aims to spread information like a virus.
“These types of accusations, when uploaded to Twitter, can spread like a tentacle within hours and cause instant destruction to someone’s reputation.
“And accusations of the kind we are dealing with, especially in this day and age, cannot be erased after they appear on a medium like Twitter.”
Members of the Tribe family, including his mother, Julianne Simmons, his brother Liam Simmon, sister Emily Bush and his fiancée Diana Ling, have given testimony in court in support of their brother’s hurt feelings and damage to his reputation.
But the family also said they were concerned about Ms Simmons’ mental health, blaming the allegations on false claims about her personal life.
Judge Lee ordered Ms. Simmons to pay $550,000 in compensatory and aggravated damages, but the court said Mr. Tribe would not pursue her for the money.
A family photo that Olivia Simmons posted in 2020. From left to right, top to bottom: Ben and their father Dave, their mother Julie, Olivia, Emily Bush and Sean Tribe
Brooklyn Nets points guard Ben Simmons into action
Ben Simmons is pictured with his sister Olivia
He noted that “while Mr. Tribe relies on this case to do all he reasonably can to restore his reputation and undermine the falsity of the serious allegations against him, he does not intend, at least as currently advised, to enforce the monetary measures. judgment against his half-sister.
The Daily Mail does not know whether the sentence was ultimately enforced against Olivia Simmons.
In a statement released after the court proceedings, Mr Tribe said: ‘I am grateful to the court for handling this matter so efficiently with the assistance of my lawyers.’
Tribe is no longer part of Simmons’ management team and now works for the high-profile global sports and entertainment management company You First.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted members of the Tribe family for comment on Tribe’s legal bill.
