A month after he was sued, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has filed a countersuit against former adviser Royce West, claiming West and his business associates breached the professional and fiduciary duties owed to him.
According to the lawsuit, West, a Texas state senator, "capitalized on Bryant's notoriety and hard-earned success to improperly line his own pocket and those of his business associates."
The suit claims West and his law firm, West & Associates L.L.P., received more than $300,000 in compensation from Bryant while West "simultaneously was breaching his fiduciary duties and other obligations to Bryant." Also, David Wells, who served as West's "hand-picked" financial manager, is said to have "absconded" with over $200,000 owed to Bryant under endorsements and other agreements.
West assisted Wells in forming Dez Enterprises Inc., in which both served as directors. The suit claims Wells used the business to attract marketing and endorsement deals using Bryant's name, image and likeness and then West would "instruct endorsement companies and others to make payments for any endorsement agreements to Wells, not Bryant, who had signed over power of attorney to Wells on West's advice.
"Many of these payments stopped at Wells and/or West, but never reached Bryant," according to the suit.
Bryant filed the claim after West sued the receiver for between $100,000 and $200,000 for damage to a house Bryant rented from him in DeSoto. Bryant returned the property in February 2016, however, West found the house littered with "trash and feces, missing blinds and shutters, with cracked windows and blackened carpeting," requiring more than $60,000 in repairs.
"These allegations are lies and frivolous," West said. "Mr. Bryant needs to take responsibility for the damage caused to my house and not attempt to avert the focus away from his actions by making incredulous accusations about me. I intend to defend my name by filing a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Bryant and his attorney."
West and Wells had been among Bryant's confidants since the Cowboys selected him in the first round of the 2010 draft. West had served as Bryant's attorney. Wells had served as mentor and head of his security team until February 2015. Three months earlier, Bryant switched agents, moving to Roc Nation Sports.
Bryant's counterclaim asks the court to recover all losses as well as any fees paid.