Evander Kane, the San Jose Sharks' standout forward, keeps getting in trouble. Off-ice troubles have dogged his career, but this season has been particularly bad. Kane now worries that his teammates loathe him so strongly that they want him traded. A bankruptcy judge approved discovery in a lawsuit filed by Hope Parker, who claims Kane broke a promise to pay her $2 million if she aborted their child.
Parker sued Kane in 2018 in California state court, demanding testimony and emails. It was before Parker sent him documentation of the abortion that Kane changed his mind. That didn't sway bankruptcy judge Stephen Johnson.
«Plaintiff (Parker) was unwilling to terminate the third pregnancy until Defendant (Kane) offered her two to three million dollars to do so,» Johnson wrote. (According to bankruptcy court documents, Parker allegedly aborted a fetus conceived with the hockey player twice before, and Kane paid her $125,000 for the second abortion.) «Then, on June 13, 2018, Plaintiff sent Defendant a text message of her lab results, which confirmed she had terminated the third pregnancy. When Plaintiff requested Defendant update her on the status of her payment, Defendant, for the first time, told (Plaintiff) he was not going to pay her, stating: ‘I'll have my lawyer contact you I'm not dealing with this any further then."
Parker's lawsuit was postponed because to COVID-19 and is currently in bankruptcy. A debt received under false pretences cannot be waived under bankruptcy law. Johnson indicated the argument might go on. This does not imply the court has ruled in Parker's favour, but it is a positive step for her.
«To use a boxing analogy, this is the first round in this litigation,» said Schuyler Carroll, a bankruptcy attorney at Loeb & Loeb. «There are still nine rounds left to be fought. Parker won this round, but she still has a long way to go. Having said that, because so much of bankruptcy is resolved by settlement, a ruling like this often leads to settlement discussions.»
