NBA star James Harden is attempting to annul a substantial £1.05 million legal loss after a jury in March 2025 determined he committed fraud in a dispute over parties held at a luxury Beverly Hills mansion he rented in 2019. The Cleveland Cavaliers guard is asking a Los Angeles judge to overturn the verdict, which awarded homeowner George Santopietro £709,000 in punitive damages and held Harden partially responsible for an additional £354,000 in compensatory damages.
The core of the lawsuit, initiated by Santopietro in September 2019, centres on a rental agreement for the mansion. Santopietro alleged Harden paid £64,680 for a one-week rental, with an explicit agreement limiting guests to no more than seven. However, the homeowner claimed Harden hosted numerous parties exceeding 15 attendees, leading to property damage and negatively impacting Santopietro's relationship with the local homeowners association.
After approximately two hours of deliberation in March 2025, the jury concluded that Harden had committed fraud. They awarded Santopietro the punitive damages and ruled that Harden shared liability for the compensatory damages with a property management company and its owner, who Santopietro alleged had facilitated the rental agreement.
Harden's legal team, in court documents filed recently ahead of an August 3rd hearing, contends that the case hinged on a misunderstanding of the lease terms. They argue that the seven-person limit was specifically for overnight occupants, not for visitors during the day. They further claim that even Santopietro's own real estate agent interpreted the agreement in this manner. Harden's attorneys stated that the jury could only have found fraud by disregarding undisputed testimony.
The legal team also asserts that there was insufficient evidence of malice, oppression, or fraud to justify the imposition of punitive damages. Should the judge decline to overturn the verdict, Harden's representatives are seeking a new trial, arguing that the jury's findings were not supported by the credible evidence presented.