NBA Star Rajon Rondo and His Girlfriend Are Being Sued Over an Alleged Assault

A woman named Toktam Jorshari is suing NBA star Rajon Rondo and his girlfriend for assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress, and conspiracy after an alleged incident on July 28, 2020, according to TMZ.

The news of Toktam’s lawsuit — a case Rajon’s lawyer called “meritless” — comes less than a month after the athlete made a major career move, joining the Atlanta Hawks after two years with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Toktam claims that she lives in the same Los Angeles apartment complex as Rondo’s girlfriend and that Rajon parked his Rolls Royce SUV in a handicapped parking space at the complex on July 28. Toktam parked her car next to his to unload a table, she says, and Rajon allegedly shouted at her — with his face mask slipping under his nose — when he saw that she had inadvertently blocked his driver’s side door. “B--h, why do you think you can park here?” Rajon shouted, according to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ.

Then, Toktam claims, Rajon “pushed and shoved [Toktam] against her vehicle,” and Toktam says the push was “so violent and forceful that her sandal shoe flew off her foot and her keys, which she held in her hand, flew out of her hand and broke into two pieces when the key fell onto the ground.” Then, Rajon’s girlfriend allegedly “proceeded to repeatedly physically attack [Toktam] by striking her in the area of her head and upper body” after getting the “green light” from Rajon, according to the suit.

Now Toktam — who claims to have surveillance footage of the alleged incident — says she has a “permanent disability” and is seeking unspecified damages in excess of $1 million, per TMZ. But Mark D. Baute, Rajon’s attorney, tells the site that Toktam’s case “meritless.”

“I have seen the videotape,” he adds. “Mr. Rondo was polite throughout the encounter. The claimant was not wearing a mask and was unstable and rude. We look forward to defending the case and winning.”

The TMZ report doesn’t name Rajon’s girlfriend, but as of October 2020, the four-time NBA All-Star was in a relationship with Latoia Fitzgerald, according to Heavy.com. 

Latoia, the creator of Lionne Clothing and Dillonger Clothing, posted videos of herself with the basketball star as recently as November, when she commemorated the couple’s travels to the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives.

At the time of the alleged incident, Rajon was still a Lakers player, and he helped the team clinch the 2020 NBA championship in October 2020. The following month, NBA.com reported Rajon was considering becoming a free agent, and two weeks after that, the point guard signed with the Hawks.

“Rajon is an intense competitor, a proven winner and a true student of the game,” Hawks President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Travis Schlenk said at the time, per NBA.com. “His resume and experience speak for themselves. We’re excited to add him to our group.”