Barnes & – A law firm has refiled a lawsuit against former Colorado football player Shilo Sanders in Texas state court, seeking $170,000 plus damages after withdrawing a federal case earlier this year. The move revives claims tied to Sanders’ other legal battles, includi
A lawsuit against Shilo Sanders is back on the clock in Texas.
Barnes & Thornburg LLP has refiled a case against the 26-year-old former Colorado football player in Dallas. asking a state court to order him to pay $170. 000 for legal services it says he never paid—on top of any other damages a trial might determine. The firm’s move follows its decision to withdraw an earlier federal lawsuit in late May without explanation.
In the new Dallas County filing, the firm alleges Sanders has refused to pay what it calls an “Outstanding Debt,” and says his “account remains unpaid.” It also points to Dallas County as the place where “a substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claim occurred.”
The request is straightforward but high-stakes for a defendant already in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings. The complaint seeks judgment for $170,000 plus all other damages, with the total amount left open for a future trial.
Sanders’ debt ties to legal work during his bankruptcy fight
The firm says the services it provided were related to Sanders’ other legal troubles, including his Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in October 2023.
Sanders filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to discharge an $11.89 million debt owed to a former security guard. According to the court background included in the complaint. the overwhelming majority of Sanders’ debt—almost $11 million—is owed to John Darjean. a former security guard at Sanders’ former school in Dallas.
Darjean’s lawsuit dates to 2016. He alleged Sanders permanently injured him in 2015 when Darjean tried to confiscate Sanders’ phone at school. The case did not go to trial until 2022. During that trial. Sanders did not show up. and Darjean presented his case to a Dallas judge. who then entered a default judgment against Sanders for $11.89 million.
Bankruptcy entered the picture after that judgment. By filing for Chapter 7, Sanders sought to get out of that debt. The materials say Sanders claimed he acted in self-defense, while Darjean has continued fighting to collect what he says he is owed. Darjean’s collection case remains pending.
Why the refile matters in a case already under court protection
Barnes & Thornburg’s new complaint describes a specific dispute over money: when the attorney Sanders had been working with left the firm to join a new one, Sanders allegedly did not pay his outstanding balance.
The firm says that balance is now year past due and includes accrued interest. It is those unpaid amounts—tied to legal work connected to the broader cluster of Sanders’ problems—that the firm is trying to convert into an enforceable judgment in Texas state court.
Shilo Sanders is the middle son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders. He is also the older brother of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Deion Sanders’ son has also continued life outside football since being waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, but the legal pressure he is facing appears to be expanding rather than fading.
Sanders’ federal case was withdrawn, then reappeared in state court
Barnes & Thornburg originally filed its complaint against Sanders in federal court in November. The firm withdrew the case in late May without giving an explanation. The latest filing places the claim back in a Texas state courtroom in Dallas.
The law firm’s effort is likely to run into a familiar question as it proceeds: how a new $170,000 claim fits around Sanders’ broader attempt to navigate—and potentially discharge—his much larger bankruptcy-related debt.
For now, the message from the firm is clear: the bill remains unpaid, and it wants the court to make that obligation enforceable.
Shilo Sanders Barnes & Thornburg Texas state court Dallas County lawsuit refiled unpaid legal services Chapter 7 bankruptcy John Darjean default judgment Deion Sanders
Texas court again? Sounds like they just won’t stop.
Wait so it’s $170k for “legal services” but he’s in bankruptcy too? Either way, dudes never pay up and then act surprised when paperwork hits.
Not sure I get it, like he filed Chapter 7 so shouldn’t that wipe a lot of it? Unless this is like a separate thing for the law firm, but still… Dallas County?? Feels like they’re just forum shopping to me.
He’s 26, in bankruptcy, and now the law firm is back in Dallas asking for $170,000 plus damages. Meanwhile the article says his debt is like $11.89 million to a security guard (John Darjean?) so is this 170k part of that or just extra fees piling on?? I swear these bankruptcy cases are always so confusing and then everyone’s like “refused to pay” like he has cash sitting around. Also late May they withdrew federal case with no explanation… what does that even mean, like they got spooked?