The NBA has never spoken to a woman who claims then-New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes punched her in a 2021 incident that led to his arrest on domestic violence charges.
Hayes, now playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, also was not disciplined by the NBA after his no-contest plea to misdemeanor charges of false imprisonment and resisting an official, despite a league policy that says such a plea “will establish conclusively a violation.” For his testimony in the criminal case, Hayes was sentenced to community service, one year of weekly domestic violence classes and three years of probation.
Waukeen McCoy and Laura Stone, attorneys for Hayes’ ex-girlfriend Sofia Jamora, said they remember receiving a call from a person in the NBA’s legal department who was investigating the incident. McCoy said he called back and left a message, but never received a response.
“They didn’t follow up with me,” he said. “If they were really doing a thorough investigation, they would have contacted their attorney and gotten information from us.”
NBA spokesman Mike Bass declined to answer specific questions about the league’s investigation into the incident or the results.
But when asked if the league was seeking to interview Jamora, Bass said: “An NBA investigator contacted Laura Stone, Ms. Jamora’s representative, several times, and we did not receive a response to our communication.”
The NBA said it had reopened the case earlier this week, after TMZ posted a five-and-a-half-minute video of an altercation between Hayes and Jamora. At the beginning of the video, taken by a surveillance camera at a home in Woodland Hills, California, Hayes appears to be stopping Jamora from trying to leave as she says, “No, stop, I don’t feel safe. Jaxson, stop.” , stop, what’s your problem?” Later, Hayes can be seen pushing Jamora through a door as she says, “Stop, let me go.” He responds, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Shortly after, out of view of the camera, Jamora can be heard shouting, “Get out, please,” as another man in the house tries to calm Hayes down and get him out of the situation. Later, in a video showing Hayes and Jamora outside the house, Jamora says, “I’m not going to let you hit me anymore. What the fuck do I look like, a punching bag?” At the end of the video, Hayes pushes Jamora and then turns around and appears to spit on him.
Police were eventually called to the scene and body camera footage showed Hayes struggling and pushing an officer. Hayes later paid the officer $150,000 to cover his injuries, according to a statement given by the officer. About a month after Hayes pleaded no contest, Jamora filed a civil lawsuit against Hayes alleging physical and emotional harm from multiple incidents.
After TMZ published the video on Sunday, the NBA announced it would reopen its investigation.
McCoy and Stone told ESPN that they would allow their client to speak to the NBA now, as they had at the time of the league’s original investigation: “If they are investigating, we will definitely encourage our client to cooperate.”
McCoy and Stone said they had not heard from the NBA since the league announced it was reopening its investigation.
McCoy told ESPN that he was disheartened that the league had to review the video, “knowing that I’ve been on this case since 2021 and how serious the allegations and Mr. Hayes’ actions were at the time.”
Mark Baute, a lawyer representing Hayes, defended his client and accused Jamora’s team of leaking the video.
“We understand that the plaintiff wants to pursue the case through TMZ or other media outlets,” Baute said. “Plaintiff admitted to everyone present that night that she had no injuries and that no one hit or punched her. We intend to fully cooperate with the NBA’s desire to reopen the investigation now that Plaintiff is submitting material to TMZ.”
McCoy told ESPN on Friday that he and his client “have had no contact with TMZ.” Stone said, “I didn’t send anything to TMZ.”
When asked this week when the NBA first saw the video and what developments there were in it that led the league to reopen its investigation, Bass offered a statement: “As previously stated, the video has led us to reopen our investigation into this matter. We are also aware of and have been monitoring the pending civil litigation. We will not provide details about our investigation process.”
After the Lakers signed Hayes last year, general manager Rob Pelinka addressed the 2021 incident in an interview with The Athletic.
“I think the most important thing is that we take those things very seriously and do a full vetting process,” Pelinka told The Athletic. “Jaxson has been very honest [with] he apologizes for handling that and has gone further to where he has played a year or two in the NBA after that. “It was something we felt like he owned it, took responsibility for it, and would be a better person for overcoming it.”
McCoy told ESPN he was surprised when he read that.
“As far as I know, [Hayes] “He hasn’t apologized,” McCoy said. “I don’t know what he looked at or heard that made him say that. I took it to mean [Hayes] “I apologized to the police officer.”
In the civil case, McCoy and Stone attempted to depose Pelinka, but Hayes’ attorneys fought to overturn the Lakers general manager’s deposition. One of Hayes’ lawyers, Artyom Baghdishyan, wrote: “…it is indisputable that Mr. Pelinka did not interview, speak to or question Mr. Hayes about the July 2021 incident and therefore lacks personal knowledge relevant to this case.”
Baghdishyan’s statement followed a statement from Pelinka in which he wrote: “I know nothing about the underlying allegations in that dispute and have not spoken with Mr. Hayes about the civil litigation or any of the underlying allegations.”
He added that any background investigation of Hayes was conducted by an outside contractor, “which is our normal protocol” for an off-season move.
McCoy previously faced Baute in a high-profile NBA case. McCoy represented a woman who accused NBA star Derrick Rose, represented by Baute, and two of his friends of rape in 2013. The men were found not responsible, prompting Baute to say at the time: “The system worked.”
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