Bill Russell’s widow has sued the late Celtics legend’s daughter, arguing she has “tarnished” her father’s image with statements about his health.
Jeannine Russell says she’s on a mission to “preserve” her husband’s legacy, alleging Karen Russell of breaching a legal contract by making a claim that her father had “well-known cognitive issues.”
The complaint, filed in a Seattle Superior Court in Washington late last month, is the latest legal dispute between Russell’s widow and children.
Through her legal team, Jeannine Russell announced the complaint and highlighted some of its details in a press release Tuesday.
A sticking point in the argument is a claim that Karen Russell made to the Boston Globe in an interview last October. The daughter was quoted saying, “My dad had well-known cognitive issues.”
The claim, Jeannine Russell argues, breached a so-called “confidentiality and nondisparagement agreement and mutual releases” document (CNA) stemming from prior litigation.
In 2015, Karen Russell and her brother filed a complaint against their father and stepmother. They argued “Bill was a ‘Vulnerable Adult’ and accused Jeannine of exploiting Bill.”
Jeannine Russell’s legal team says that the claims were resolved through “written agreements,” including the CNA.
“After execution of the CNA, Karen materially breached the Agreements; and specifically, the CNA,” the legal team said in a statement, pointing directly to the daughter’s claim to the Globe.
“Though Karen made this claim, it was not true and was not substantiated in any proceeding,” the team said. “Indeed, Bill was cleared by a medical professional to make his own decisions in connection with the (action). Karen voluntarily accepted over half a million dollars in consideration to retract this claim and agree not to make it publicly.”
Bill Russell, on the Mount Rushmore of Boston sports with a whopping 11 titles as a player including two championships as the first Black head coach in U.S. pro sports, died at the age of 88 on July 31, 2022.
Russell, the greatest champion in basketball history with a “trademark laugh,” was also a civil rights activist who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. — and who had “an uncompromising, dignified and always constructive commitment to principle,” his family wrote in a message announcing his death.
Celtics legend Bill Russell died in 2022. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Russell would talk about playing for the Celtics institution but not playing for Boston and the fans, who blasted him with racist taunts. His Reading home was broken into and vandalized.
Of the lawsuit filed against his daughter, Jeannine Russell said, “I can no longer stay silent while my husband’s incredible and unique legacy is tarnished.
“I have decided to speak out,” the widow added in a statement, “and take action to preserve Bill’s memory in the way he intended.”
Efforts to reach Karen Russell on Tuesday were not successful.
Karen, while not commenting on the lawsuit, did take to social media on Tuesday in remembrance of civil rights champion Jesse Jackson. Karen posted a photo of her with Jackson and her father.
“I do not know a world without Reverend Jesse Jackson,” Karen posted. “Jackson was a fixture in the Russell household and a force for justice in the world. Jackson taught millions to believe in their worth and challenged America to live up to its ideals. We mourn him. We honor him. We will continue the work and keep hope alive.”