COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKRC/WSYX) – A Franklin County jury has found former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and Groveport native Le’Veon Bell liable for $25 million in damages for rape and sexual assault. The case, brought to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas last year, involves allegations that Bell engaged in nonconsensual sexual relations with his younger cousin when she was a minor. The woman, who is seven years younger than Bell, claimed the abuse spanned a decade.
Bell’s brother, La’Vonte Bell, is also implicated and has been ordered to pay $11 million in damages. Le’Veon Bell has denied the allegations. His attorney, Thomas W. Shaffer, told TMZ Sports, “My client adamantly denies any and all allegations that have been lodged against him. Further, he was never served with a civil complaint or any documents.”
The lawsuit was filed in March 2024, and Bell did not respond. In October 2024, a default judgment was entered, and a trial on damages proceeded without Bell’s presence. The jury awarded a $25 million verdict to his cousin.
Per New York Post, Le’Veon Bell had engaged in sexual encounters “throughout the plaintiff’s minority, including during his frequent returns to Central Ohio during his college years and beyond, and that Le’Veon Bell had used “slang terms” to direct the woman on which acts he wanted her to perform, citing one such instance where he “termed oral sex ‘fire.’”
Bell’s legal team must now prove he was not served the appropriate paperwork, challenging the documentation that suggests otherwise.
“The default judgment granted was based upon violations of his Fifth Amendment rights of due process for failing to be served. My client is in the process of filing a motion to open and reverse the default judgment because the narratives of the case have never been litigated,” Shaffer said in a statement, per TMZ Sports.
Bell played in 98 games over eight NFL seasons from 2013-2021, the first five of which were with the Steelers. He had 6,554 career rushing yards and 51 combined touchdowns running and receiving.
