Ex-Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis has sued his former attorney and longtime friend who defrauded him of $1.7 million in connection with a failed development project in Hunt Valley, Maryland.
The lawsuit alleges Lewis’ former attorney Marc Seldin Rosen convinced Lewis to sign a line of credit that “would not be touched.” However, the attorney obtained $1.7 million for the MVP Lanes entertainment complex, a Hunt Valley bowling alley project. Lewis alleges that he believed he was only allowing his name and likeness to the project.
Although it was never materialized, the project included a bowling alley, arcade and restaurants. Lewis reportedly had a majority stake in the project while Rosen and his wife were minority partners. The business venture had envisioned to become a national chain. In an interview given in 2009 when the project was announced, Lewis said,
“Instead of putting on a helmet, you put on a tie and a suit. That’s where my next phase in life is going – the building and giving back to who we are in this world.”
In denying the allegations, Jeffrey M. Kotz, an attorney for MVP Lanes LLC during the project, said that Lewis was “integrally involved from the outset” and “knowingly made his financial commitments.” Kotz further said, “The MVP project was a business venture that failed, but that does not justify Mr. Lewis rewriting history in a lawsuit.”
Rosen, who was Lewis’ attorney and business partner for many years, also served as a member of the board of directors for Lewis’ nonprofit organization that helps disadvantaged youth.