It had only been a couple of months since NASCAR came out of what was arguably its biggest-ever intra-sport lawsuit. While the aftereffects of the charter lawsuit were still lingering, a new legal turmoil has gotten hold of the sport, with Joe Gibbs Racing alleging foul play on former Director of Competition Chris Gabehart.
And while that goes on, a legal expert feels it is only a matter of time before Spire Motorsports gets caught in the net, too.
NASCAR Faces Yet Another Possibility of a Landmark Lawsuit
Just ahead of the Atlanta race weekend, the NASCAR world was in for a major shock with Joe Gibbs Racing filing a lawsuit against their former Director of Competition, Gabehart. The lawsuit alleges Gabehart of a “brazen scheme” against the team, with JGR seeking over $8 million in damages.
Per the complainant team, the scheme involves setup files, payroll records, and pit data allegedly collected with the intention of providing them to Spire Motorsports. And with a second team named in the allegation, the question arises of whether or not they would play an active role as the lawsuit progresses.
The same thought popped up in X user Zach’s mind, who reached out to legal expert Shannon McMinimee to seek clarity over the same (via X).
In response, the paralegal detailed that JGR certainly has the right to name Spire as an “additional defendant” in court, relating them to the non-contract claims that shall be presented over time.
“They could certainly name Spire as an additional defendant for the non-contract claims and could bring claims like interference with a business relationship depending on what comes out in discovery about how long Spire has been pursuing Gabehart.”
McMinimee added that theoretically, Gabehart also has the option to bring Spire Motorsports in as defendants in the case. However, the move has the potential for that relationship to blow out of proportion, so McMinimee doubts that it would ever happen.
As for JGR bringing Spire into the conversation, the complaining team will need to prove that their ex-employee had a contract with the team and Spire was aware of everything beforehand.
If that doesn’t happen, JGR will need to prove that Spire induced the data breach intentionally, alongside fetching solid proof of the financial and/or competitive damages (worth the alleged $8 million)Â that occurred through the move.
Meanwhile, Gabehart has already fired a stern response JGR’s way, stating all the claims made by the team are completely false. While the ex-Competition Director maintains that the claims are “frivolous and retaliatory,” he has also claimed that he will be filing a detailed response soon.
