Mother of 'Pawn Stars' celebrity sues over ownership, assets
Rick Harrison's mother alleges breach of contract
LAS VEGAS — "Pawn Stars" celebrity Rick Harrison is being sued by his mother in a dispute over family assets and ownership of the Las Vegas business featured on the long-running reality TV show, according to court records.
The civil lawsuit was filed Thursday in Nevada state court by attorneys for Harrison’s mother, Joanne Harrison, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
It names Rick Harrison, the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, business entities Harrison Properties, JoRich Properties and others as defendants.
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"The allegations are false, and I think that my 81-year-old mother is being manipulated by others for their personal gain," Rick Harrison told the newspaper.
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The breach-of-contract complaint says Joanne Harrison was married for 58 years to the late Richard Harrison, who was known on the show as "The Old Man."
It alleges that while she was hospitalized in 2000 or 2001, Rick Harrison, one of the couple’s three sons, had her sign over to him her 51% ownership interest in the pawn shop.
In 2009, the business became the setting for the History Channel show that also features grandson Richard Corey Harrison and family friend Austin "Chumlee" Russell.
The lawsuit says that when Richard Harrison died in 2018, Joanne Harrison inherited his 49% share of the pawn shop but Rick Harrison has failed to provide her with complete documentation of its finances.
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Joanne Harrison also alleges she has been unable to get a proper accounting of more than $500,000 worth of cash and silver she believes her husband accumulated before his death.
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The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, an accounting of assets, a court order banning Rick Harrison from using funds belonging to Joanne Harrison and "a constructive trust" over property that belongs to her.