Jim Palmer, the famous baseball player known for playing 19 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, is in the news because he’s having a legal fight.
A report from The Athletic says that Palmer claims he lost almost $1 million because a hairstylist, who is also a family friend named Warren Michael Holmes, tricked him into a dishonest business plan.
Palmer has officially filed a lawsuit against Holmes in the Supreme Court of Orange County, California. In the lawsuit, Palmer says Holmes broke agreements related to both business and personal loans.
Palmer is accusing Holmes of things like giving the wrong information, deceiving him to get involved, and unfairly benefiting from the situation.
Jim Palmer’s lawsuit
In the legal complaint, Palmer claims that Holmes pretended to be a trustworthy British hairstylist. Palmer and his wife gave Holmes loans totaling $985,000 to help him start a beauty product line.
Susan, Palmer’s wife, admitted, “We know people might think we’re too trusting. That’s okay. I just want to make sure he doesn’t take advantage of us again.”
Holmes even became friends with Spencer, Palmer’s stepson, who has autism. Because of this, the Palmer family made him Spencer’s guardian and the manager of his trust.
Palmer stressed that Holmes used his stepson for his own benefit, saying, “Regardless of whether he tricked us or not, he managed to become part of our family and convinced us that he would take care of Spencer if anything happened to me or Susan.”
Palmer told The Athletic, “My main worry is stopping him from doing these things again.”
Susan has a family history of Alzheimer’s disease
The whole situation has an extra emotional layer due to Susan’s family history with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the famous pitcher.
He stressed how much support they gave, both emotionally and financially, which they considered very important.
Even though they didn’t agree with him taking a million dollars the wrong way, they stuck with him as he chased his dreams. Unfortunately, he eventually disappeared.
According to the legal complaint, Holmes came into the Palmers’ lives through mutual friends in California, where the family had settled after the pitcher’s career with the Orioles in Baltimore.
In 2018, Holmes pitched different beauty products to the Palmers, like a haircare line called “Poo” and an eyeliner named “B—- Brow.”
Despite Holmes facing rejections from other investors, the Palmers lent him $750,000 in November 2018. They trusted Holmes when he said the products would be made in California near their home.
Holmes had a vision to brand his business as “Love Brands.”
Holmes asked Palmer for a substantial amount, $2.5 million
Despite investing, Palmer didn’t get any money back from Holmes. In 2022, Holmes came back, asking for an extra $235,000. According to the lawsuit, Holmes said it was essential because nothing had been launched yet, and without a product release, he couldn’t pay back Palmer.
In March 2023, Holmes wanted a big $2.5 million from Palmer, promising to make his business a “global beauty brand.” Palmer, not sure about the investment’s success, said no.
He saw it more like a short-term loan and wasn’t confident about getting his money back, saying, “It would have been nice to see some money if his products did well. The way he sold it, I might have bought the Brooklyn Bridge. He was quite the salesman.”
Holmes is currently impossible to find, and the lawsuit hasn’t reached him yet. The first court appearance is set for February 22.
More about Jim Palmer
Jim Palmer, the experienced American baseball pitcher, had an incredible 19-year run with the Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1965 to 1984. He shone brightest in the 1970s, racking up 186 wins and becoming the standout pitcher of the decade.
Palmer pulled off an impressive feat by achieving at least 20 wins in eight seasons. He also earned three Cy Young Awards and four Gold Gloves during the 1970s.
With a total of 268 victories, he holds the record for the most wins in Orioles’ history. Standing out as a six-time American League All-Star, Palmer made history by never allowing a grand slam throughout his entire career.
In postseason play, Palmer played a key role in securing three World Series victories, six AL pennant wins, and seven Eastern Division titles.
His legacy includes the unique honor of being the only pitcher to win a World Series game in three different decades. He also set a record as the youngest pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout in a World Series at the age of 20 in 1966.
Palmer was notably part of a rotation that featured four 20-game winners in a single season in 1971. His exceptional career rightly earned him a well-deserved spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
