Rick Harrison, one of the familiar faces from Pawn Stars, is facing a pretty personal lawsuit. The reality star’s mother is suing him over a large collection of assets, including cash, silver, and ownership shares of the now-famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.
Rick Harrison Claims Allegations Are False, Mother Is Being Manipulated
Joanne, Rick’s 81-year-old mother, had her attorneys file the lawsuit last week. A spokesperson for Rick says that he didn’t know about the suit until the day after it was filed and that all the accusations are false.
“Now that I’ve seen the Review-Journal story and what is alleged in the lawsuit, I can say that the allegations are false and I think that my 81-year old mother is being manipulated by others for their personal gain,” Rick said in an email statement sent to the Las Vegas newspaper.
The lawsuit details how Rick came to own the pawn shop. His parents, Joanne and Richard, who was known as the “Old Man,” started the shop in 1981. They also started an operating entity for the business called G&S Coin Shop. Richard owned 49% of the shares, while Joanne owned 51%.
“In or around 2000 or 2001, Joanne had been in a coma and was being cared for in the ICU at Valley Hospital,” Joanne’s attorneys claim in the lawsuit. “While Joanne was in the hospital recovering from her coma, Rick apparently made her sign over her 51 percent ownership interest in the Pawn Shop to him. Joanne did not know or fully understand what she was allegedly signing at the time.”
She tried to regain ownership of her shares, but Richard convinced her to let Rick keep them. However, after her husband passed away, Joanne inherited his shares. She claims that her son will not provide her with complete documentation of the business’ finances.
Missing Money and Valuables
The suit also alleges that, from 2018 to 2020, Rick was providing his mother with a monthly allowance of $25,000 to pay for medical and living expenses. “However, in early 2020, before the pandemic hit, Rick unilaterally and without notice or explanation, reduced Joanne’s distributions to approximately $20,000 per month,” the suit states. “Then, in or around March 2020, Rick abruptly stopped the monthly distributions to Joanne all together.”
Additionally, Joanne is seeking proper accounting of a collection of $500,000 in silver and $100,000 in cash that her late husband had amassed. The lawsuit accuses Rick of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty, and is seeking transparency, damages, and injunctions for Joanne. With Rick claiming his mother is being manipulated, it’s unclear who is telling the truth in this family feud.
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