New York, Dec 07: Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has been awarded $1.175 million in damages from a lawyer he accused of failing to protect him. A jury of seven women and one man yesterday awarded the damages after Lewis accused the lawyer, Milton Chwasky, of letting promoter Panos Eliades take money from his expense account.
Lewis won an $8 million verdict against Eliades for fraud in February.
After the verdict, Lewis blasted the boxing establishment for lining up behind his courtroom adversary. "Obviously they weren't behind me," Lewis said as he left a federal courtroom in Manhattan. "They profess that they're with me but they're not."
Jethro Eisenstein, a lawyer for Chwasky, promised to appeal the latest verdict, saying his client believes "the legal process is not over."
"He continues to believe he gave Lennox Lewis valuable and faithful service," Eisenstein said.
Lewis testified that Chwasky should have told him that Eliades was taking his money and that there was a conflict of interest because Chwasky worked for the fighter and the promoter at the same time.
The 36-year-old boxer had sought $7.5 million in damages from Chwasky but he said he was fighting the case for principle rather than money.
"I'm showing the rest of the world and other athletes, especially boxers, to fight for their rights," Lewis said.
Bureau Report