Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is seeking legal action to stop his mother, Pamela Bryant, from working with an auctioneer to sell 100 memorabilia items that he alleges are not hers to sell.  However, before the June 17^th trial begins, U.S. District Judge Renee Marie Bumb has ordered mediation as an alternative dispute resolution forum. 

Goldin Auctions LLC is on the receiving end of the lawsuit filed by Bryant as the firm his mother hired to sell items that could bring more than $1 million in revenue.  According to Bryant, his mother did not have his permission to auction the items, although she told Goldin Auctions that she did.  Bryant also alleges that he never gave the items to either of his parents but rather asked them to store them for him until he settled into a home with his wife, Vanessa Bryant.    

Some of the items that might be up for auction include Bryant’s high school jerseys when he played basketball at Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, and a ring with the Lakers insignia that he acquired after winning the 2000 NBA championship.  According to Pamela Bryant, “My son has never demanded the return of any of the items, nor were they in any way improperly taken from him without his permission.  Neither Kobe nor Vanessa [his wife] has ever requested that we return the items to them so that they can give it as family heirlooms to their children.”

The case was transferred last week to U.S. District Judge Andrew Guilford, who ordered that Goldin Auctions LLC temporarily refrain from selling any of the “basketball jerseys, championship rings, and other sports memorabilia” in question until the matter is resolved.