Shilo Sanders bankruptcy trial, explained: What to know about $11M debt lawsuit against Deion's son image
It's a prove-it year for much of the Sanders family, with Deion looking to bounce back from a 3-9 season and Shedeur hoping he will still get his chance to start games for the Browns at some point after losing a quarterback battle with Deshaun Watson.
Shedeur's brother and Deion's son, Shilo, will face a much different kind of test: a bankruptcy trial.
The trial, which stems from an incident 11 years ago, is unusual if only because bankruptcy cases rarely go to trial, but the Sanders family has taken the process all the way to court, to the point that Deion could take the stand to testify.
Here's what you need to know about Shilo Sanders' bankruptcy case.
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Shilo Sanders bankruptcy trial, explained
Sanders faced a civil trial in 2022 after being sued by a security guard at his high school. When he didn't show up for that trial, Sanders was hit with an $11.89 million default judgement, leading him to file for bankruptcy in 2023 to try to get that debt erased.
The case originates from 2015, when security guard John Darjean alleges Sanders elbowed and punched him when he tried to take the then-teenager's phone away. Darjean claimed Sanders caused permanent injury to his spine and sued in 2016, though the case didn't go to trial until 2022 after years of legal battles.
Sanders didn't show up for the 2022 trial, later claiming that he was unaware the trial was taking place after firing his attorneys. The judge in the case issued an $11.89 million default judgement against Sanders, ruling in favor of Darjean because Sanders did not show up or respond to notices about the trial.
Sanders filed for bankruptcy in response and is going to trial to try to get that debt erased. Darjean, meanwhile, is still looking to collect the full amount.
In a pretrial statement, Sanders' attorneys claim that their client's "actions were justified in that any force used by (Sanders) was reasonable and immediately necessary to protect himself against (Darjean’s) own use or attempted use of improper force," indicating that Sanders is looking to claim he was defending himself.
The trial will not be presented to a jury, so a decision will come down to the judge alone.
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How much money does Shilo Sanders owe?
Sanders owes Darjean $11.89 million as a result of a default judgement resulting from the civil trial he did not attend in 2022.
Darjean moved to collect that money in 2023, and Sanders subsequently filed for bankruptcy. Now, a trial will determine whether Sanders still owes the massive payment.
Who is John Darjean?
Darjean was working as a security guard at Trinity Christian in Texas when he claims he was punched and elbowed in the chest by Shilo Sanders after attempting to confiscate the student's phone at Deion Sanders' request.
Darjean sued in 2016, claiming he suffered a severe and permanent spinal injury as a result of the incident. The case went to trial, and he was awarded $11.89 million after Shilo failed to show up.
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What happens if Shilo Sanders loses trial?
If Sanders loses, he will still be on the hook for the $11.89 million payment to Darjean.
Depending on Sanders' willingness to do that, Darjean could have to continue to fight to collect the debt through all available methods, while Sanders would have the option to appeal and continue fighting the ruling.
Previous Shilo Sanders trial
Sanders faced a civil trial in 2022 after Darjean sued him over the incident, claiming he suffered damages in the form of a permanent and severe spinal injury, but Sanders did not show up for the trial.
Darjean and his attorneys still presented his case, and Sanders was issued a default judgement of $11.89 million. When Darjean attempted to collect what he was owed, Sanders filed for bankruptcy, setting the stage for the current trial.
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Why didn't Shilo Sanders show up for previous bankruptcy trial?
Sanders claimed he was unaware that there was a trial being held at all after he failed to show up in 2022.
The 26-year-old's attorneys said before the bankruptcy trial that their client "remained unaware of the judgment until 2023," despite attempts to reach him. At that point, Sanders was no longer in South Carolina as he played under his father at Jackson State, but he still had a duty to report his whereabouts to the court. Sanders was also sent notices by email.
Sanders also did not have an attorney at the time. He dropped his attorneys who were handling the case in 2020 and didn't hire a new attorney until 2023, when the trial had already concluded.
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Will Deion Sanders be called as a witness?
The judge in the case ruled that Deion Sanders must be available to testify at 3:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. local time) on Friday, Sept. 4, though there is no guarantee that he will be asked to testify.
If Deion does testify, he would be taking the stand less than 24 hours after he and Colorado face Georgia Tech in one of the only "Power Four" matchups of college football's Week 1.
Deion's stance on the matter seems to be clear. Speaking to reporters on Aug. 24, Deion said Shilo "ain’t done nothing wrong" and labeled Darjean a "grifter."