Boxer Jermain Taylor fails to appear at court hearing

Published Jun. 23, 2017 4:23 p.m. ET

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) An Arkansas judge has ruled against world champion boxer Jermain Taylor after the former Olympian didn't appear at a court hearing regarding a 2014 shooting involving his cousin.

Taylor is currently serving a six-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to nine felony charges in 2015, including those related to a shooting that left his cousin, Tyrone DaWayne Hinton, in critical condition, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2s3BGiB ) reported.

In August 2014, Hinton and his son, Aharon Coley, drove to Taylor's home in North Little Rock in Taylor's car. Taylor confronted the two about damage he saw on his vehicle. When they denied causing the damage, Taylor allegedly retrieved a pistol from his home and fired in their direction. Hinton was struck five times.

Hinton filed a lawsuit against Taylor in 2015 seeking compensatory and punitive damages for medical bills related to the shooting.

Taylor's representatives told a Pulaski County Circuit judge Thursday that Taylor was in Florida, with no money and no intention of attending his hearing in Little Rock. The 38-year-old was bonded out of jail in 2015, and a judge allowed him to move to Florida to get back into boxing shape.

A trial date to determine the amount Taylor owes Hinton will be scheduled.

Taylor faces two other suits related to incidents of erratic and violent behavior. He's accused of firing a gun into the air at a Martin Luther King Jr. parade and punching a fellow patient at a rehabilitation clinic.

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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, http://www.arkansasonline.com