Million-dollar lawsuit against Tony Finau dropped by Utah Court
A million-dollar lawsuit against the American golfer Tony Finau was finally dropped by the Utah Court of Appeals.
In 2021, David Hunter filed a case against Tony, his brother Gipper and his father Kelepi for a breach of a legal contract with his company, ICON Sports.
The company was owned by Finau Corporation before Tony rose to fame. It was formed in 2007 and dissolved two years later, in 2009. However, David Hunter sued the golfer and his family in 2021.
After hearing the arguments, a judge in Provo's 4th district rejected the complaint because it had run out of time, according to a recent Fox 13 Now report. Following the case's ruling, Judge Ryan Tenney released the following statement (via Fox 13 Now):
"In his brief, Hunter made no separate arguments regarding the court’s dismissal... instead focusing his challenge on the court’s decision to dismiss his claims... In a few places in his opening and reply briefs, however, Hunter did more broadly request reversal of the 'dismissal of [his] complaint' without qualification."
Meanwhile, Tony Finau is all set to tee off for this week's Mexico Open in Vidanta. The 2024 Mexico Open will take place from February 22 to 25 at Vidanta Vallarta.
A look at Tony Finau's legal troubles
David Hunter is not the only person to file a case against Tony Finau. Back in 2020, Molonai Hola also filed a lawsuit against the golfer, claiming he helped the golfer at the beginning of his career between 2006 and 2009 by providing him with loans. Hola seeks reimbursement and claims that he deserves a fair share of Tony's career earnings.
As per a report by Deseret News, Hola's lawsuit alleges that he provided financial assistance of $600,000 to Finau's family between 2006 and 2009. He also mentioned having paid mortgage payments, medical insurance, tournament bills, Maddie's payments and other golf apparel fees for Tony.
The case has been pending and a hearing is scheduled to be held in October. Hola is seeking 20 percent of Tony Finau's entire career earnings.
Tony Finau turned pro in 2007 at the age of 17. He had initially played on the Gateway Tour, the PGA Tour Canada and the Web.com Tour. He earned his PGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season and has since enjoyed a successful career.
The American golfer won his first Tour title at the Puerto Rico Open in 2016 after defeating Steve Marino in a sudden death playoff. He has won nine professional tournaments, including six on the PGA Tour and one on the Korn Ferry Tour.
According to Spotrac, Finau has earned $51 million, including $38 million from official tournaments and $1.3 million from unofficial tournaments.