A chef filed a lawsuit against Oakland Raiders wideout Antonio Brown earlier this summer, alleging the receiver did not pay a bill of $38,521.20 during the 2018 Pro Bowl in Orlando, ESPN reported Wednesday.
Stefano Tedeschi told ESPN that Brown -- who was still with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the time -- rented a mansion and hired a chef to host nearly 50 fellow Pro Bowlers during the last week of January.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Osceola (Fla.) County on July 30, alleges Brown wrongfully terminated the agreement and did not allow Tedeschi to retrieve his equipment and food, per ESPN. It adds that Tedeschi was told by a Brown associate not to make eye contact with Brown while leaving.
Tedeschi told ESPN he paid employees and passed up other opportunities to work for Brown, and he wasn't given a reason for the lack of payment. He said Brown later offered to pay through social media advertising.
"I've cooked for countless NFL superstars and celebrities," Tedeschi told ESPN, referring to New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Arizona Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald, among others. "Never once have I had one problem (until this). My food is so good and my mannerisms in someone's home is second to none."
Darren Heitner, Brown's attorney, told ESPN he and his client "expect to be filing a motion to dismiss the complaint and will let the filing speak for itself."
Brown, a Miami native who was traded from Pittsburgh to Oakland this offseason, has had other legal disputes in Florida recently.
Two lawsuits were filed against him in 2018 stemming from an incident in South Florida in April of that year. One of those -- brought by a man who claimed his toddler was nearly hit by furniture Brown threw off a 14th-story balcony -- was settled in April 2019. The other was brought by the unit's landlord for damages and breach of the apartment agreement.
In January, the mother of Brown's daughter filed a report with the Hollywood, Fla., police department saying Brown pushed her out of a doorway and to the ground. Brown was not arrested or charged, and Heitner called the allegations "baseless and false."
--Field Level Media
