Gloria James, LeBron's Mom, Settles Lawsuit With Slapped Fontainebleau Valet Rock Feller Sorel

LeBron's Mom Reaches Deal With Slapped Valet

Christmas is behind us, but LeBron James is reportedly giving his mother the gift of avoiding a civil trial.

The Miami Heat star's mom Gloria James has reached a settlement with a hotel valet she slapped after a night clubbing at the Fontainebleau on Miami Beach.

But Gossip Extra's Jose Lambiet writes that though a deal has been made with valet Rock Feller Sorel, there's a holdup on court filings as LeBron's PR team decides how to address the situation in a statement.

“They don’t want to make LeBron or his mom look bad, but the fact is that they settled with a valet -- and of course LeBron’s paying the bills. How do you explain that in a statement that sounds positive?” a legal insider asked Gossip Extra.

Sorel's attorney, Robert A. Stok, told The Huffington Post that reaching a settlement was "a nice way to ring in the new year." Court records show the lawsuit was slated for trial January 7.

"It's a positive step for everyone," Stok said, noting the terms of the deal are confidential. "Any time you can settle a lawsuit it's a good thing."

Gloria James was arrested for battery and disorderly intoxication over the wee-hours incident in April of 2011. Sorel told police he retrieved James' car at her request, but then waited next to her car for 30 minutes while she talked to other patrons. Eventually, he told investigators, he turned off the vehicle and handed the keys to the valet cashier.

According to the arrest report, it was at that point James accosted him, yelling, "Where are my fucking keys?" and screaming obscenities.

"All the while the victim tried to explain...," wrote the arresting officer. "Then for no apparent reason [James] struck the victim with an open hand across the right side of his face and in the process causing herself to lose her balance and falling to the ground." (Watch surveillance footage of the incident above.)

Officers noted James had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol, and was uncooperative. But in March, she reached a deal with prosecutors to avoid jail time. Charges will be dropped if James completes 20 hours of community service and donates $1,000 to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, reported NBC6.

According to the Palm Beach Post, James had previously been arrested for DUI in Ohio in 2006.

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