Michael Beasley has won the lawsuit he filed against former agent Joel Bell in Montgomery County Court, according to Steve Yanda of the Washington Post. The judge ruled that Beasley could break the contract with Bell without having to pay the agent any penalties.
Judge Thomas L. Craven ruled Nov. 29 that Bell could not enforce the player-agent contract he and Beasley signed in April 2008 because Bell had operated without a sports agent license in the state of Maryland. Thus, Craven granted summary judgment to Beasley based on the judge’s finding that the contract with Bell was void.
“The Maryland Uniform Athlete Agent Act exists to regulate agents and protect student-athletes. It functioned as intended in this situation, and justice was done,” Mark A. Smith, Beasley’s attorney, said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
Bell will have 30 days to file an appeal. The case came down to the fact that Bell never became a licensed agent in the State of Maryland, so he isn't entitled to the same protections that a licensed agent would receive. Bell was however licensed in the state of Kansas, where he signed Beasley after he played at Kansas State.