Did Pawn Stars' Rick Harrison Lose His Massive Net Worth To His 81 Year Old Mother?
When Pawn Stars premiered on History in 2009, everyone involved with the show must have been hoping for the best. Little could anyone have known that not only would Pawn Stars still be going strong almost a decade and a half later, but the show also became a sensation upon its release.
Anytime a series takes the television world by storm the way that Pawn Stars did, everyone wants to cash in as soon as possible. For that reason, it didn't take long for the cast of Pawn Stars to begin showing up on merchandise and for the money to start rolling in.
Thanks to how successful Pawn Stars has become, the show's surviving stars have become rich likely beyond their wildest dreams. Most of all, Rick Harrison amassed an incredible fortune over the years which has allowed him to lead a lifestyle that most people likely wouldn't have guessed.
Sadly for Rick, however, there have been lots of celebrities who made millions and then gone on to lose everything. Worse yet, some of Rick's fans think that he may lose it all because of his mother coming after him.
Was Rick Harrison Being Sued By His Mother, JoAnne Harrison?
From the moment that Pawn Stars premiered on television, the show's devoted fans have tuned in for a few different reasons including the interesting items that come in the shop and the negotiations. On top of that, fans love to see the familial bond the show's stars share.
Of course, there is a very obvious reason why the stars of Pawn Stars have always had a tight bond, pretty much all of them are family. After all, The Old Man was Rick's father, Big Hoss is Rick's son, and Chumlee seems to pretty much be an adopted member of the Harrison family.
During episodes of Pawn Stars, the show's stars are often shown getting into little squabbles that can be completely cleared up in just over twenty minutes. Still, those little arguments are mostly portrayed as proof of their real-life bonds instead of evidence of strife between them.
Sadly, however, in recent years it has become extremely clear that there are very real tensions in the Harrison family. The most noteworthy evidence of tension in the Harrison family is that Rick's mother, JoAnne Harrison, is suing her son.
In early-2022, Fox 59 revealed what Joanne was claiming that Rick has done wrong in legal filings.
"When the “Old Man” died, Rick Harrison took control of many aspects of the business and accounts that Joanne Harrison says belong to her, according to the lawsuit."
According to JoAnne, she is the rightful owner of large percentages of many of the family businesses. However, JoAnne claims that Rick has deprived her of the ownership stake she is entitled to.
"She says she is entitled to ownership in family businesses and holdings including the Pawn Shop (47.5%), G&S Pawn Shop (50%), Harrison Properties (35%) and JoRich (100%)."
Furthermore, JoAnne claims that the payments she was receiving and entitled to were diminished, and then they completely stopped.
"Rick Harrison had disbursed $25,000 per month to JoAnne from 2018 until early 2020, according to the lawsuit. Those payments were reduced to $20,000, and then they stopped completely in March 2020, which is when the COVID-19 pandemic began. She did not receive payments for six months (January-April, June and October) in 2021."
In her court filings, JoAnne made several more claims including that Rick took advantage of her at a difficult time and that he cut her off from a chunk of money and other holdings.
"Among the allegations in the lawsuit, JoAnne Harrison claims she was forced to sign over her 51% interest in the pawnshop in 2000 or 2001, when Joanne was in a coma in the hospital."
"She also claims her son has “failed and refused” to provide documentation detailing the shop’s finances. She says Rick has blocked her from accessing the family’s trust, which “had accumulated approximately $500,000 worth of silver and at least $100,000 in cash” before her husband died."
Finally, JoAnne's lawsuit claims that she wasn't informed of a $3 million loan that was partially secured using assets that belong to her.
How Rick Harrison Responded To His Mom's Lawsuit
After the news broke that Rick Harrison's mom, JoAnne Harrison, was suing him, most Pawn Star fans were understandably shocked. After all, it isn't every day that someone's favorite TV star gets taken to court by one of their parents.
As it turns out, fans weren't the only ones who were surprised by the lawsuit based on what a spokesperson for Rick claimed. After the news of the lawsuit broke, someone who represented Rick stated that the Pawn Stars fan favorite had no idea that the lawsuit was coming.
In the aftermath of the lawsuit, Rick sent an email about the situation to a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. As that email revealed, Rick came to believe that someone was manipulating his mom into taking him to court.
“Now that I’ve seen the Review-Journal story and what is alleged in the lawsuit, I can say that the allegations are false and I think that my 81-year-old mother is being manipulated by others for their personal gain,”
Once Rick responded to his mother's lawsuit in the press, observers were left with two main questions. First off, fans wanted to know who would prevail in the legal battle, Rick or his mom. Secondly, fans wanted to know if Rick could be financially destroyed by his mother's lawsuit.
Unfortunately, as of the time of this writing, there aren't any definitive answers to either of those questions. The reason for that is the lawsuit hasn't wound up in court yet and there haven't been any reports about a settlement.
If Joanne manages to get a complete victory in court, it theoretically is possible that Rick's finances could be completely destroyed. After all, lawsuits have resulted in massive damages that most people wouldn't have predicted in the past.
That said, it seems unlikely that Rick will be destroyed by the lawsuit, especially since he made a large portion of his fortune from merchandise sales and his TV salary.
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