Quick Hitters
Court says soccer’s Maradona can pursue exwife case in US
MIAMI — Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona can pursue a lawsuit in the U.S. against his ex-wife claiming she misappropriated some of his money to buy Florida real estate, an appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The state 3rd District Court of Appeal decided that a lower court correctly refused to dismiss the lawsuit against Claudia Villafane. Her lawyers argued the case belonged in Argentina, but the judges disagreed.
The court found that Maradona’s claims are barred in Argentina because a statute of limitations on them has expired in that country. In the U.S., however, he can still pursue the lawsuit and his attorneys have argued that the alleged improper conduct happened in Florida.
Maradona and Villafane were married from 1989 to 2003. The lawsuit filed in 2015 in Miami claims she improperly used millions of his dollars to buy six condominium units in South Florida. She has denied any fraud.
In the lawsuit, Maradona claims that Villafane was entrusted to manage his finances on behalf of the couple and their daughters.
AP sources: Pelicans and Jahlil Okafor agree on contract
NEW ORLEANS — Two people familiar with the situation say free-agent center Jahlil Okafor has agreed to a two-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The people spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been announced. They say the contract includes a team option in Year 2.
Philadelphia made 6-foot-11 Okafor the third overall pick out of Duke in the 2015 NBA draft. But Okafor’s production fell considerably last season from the nearly 15 points and six rebounds he averaged through his first two seasons with the 76ers.
He appeared in only two games with Philadelphia last season before being traded to Brooklyn, where he played about 13 minutes per game as a reserve, averaging 6.4 points.
Devin Harris back with Mavs for his third stint in Dallas
DALLAS — Devin Harris is returning to the Dallas Mavericks for the third time after signing a $2.4 million free agent contract.
The Mavericks announced the deal with the 14-year veteran on Wednesday. His contract is for the veteran minimum.
Dallas originally acquired Harris from Washington, along with Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner, in a draft-day trade for Antawn Jamison in June 2004. He played for the Mavericks until getting traded to New Jersey in February 2008, in a deal that brought Jason Kidd to the Mavericks.
Larry Nassar appeals rape sentence
CHARLOTTE, Mich. — Attorneys for imprisoned sports doctor Larry Nassar have appealed his other sentence for sexually assaulting women and girls who sought treatment for injuries.
The Lansing State Journal reports that the former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor’s attorneys filed a motion in Eaton County Circuit Court seeking a new judge and sentencing hearing for Nassar on three sexual assault charges he pleaded guilty to in November.
They recently made a similar request in a separate case in Ingham County, where dozens of Nassar’s accusers spoke during a televised sentencing earlier this year of the harm he caused them. The judges in both cases sentenced Nassar to a minimum of 40 years behind bars.