Pawn Stars Ringleader Caught in Business Dispute
One of the stars of the hit cable show “Pawn Stars,” Rick Harrison might have to negotiate a new kind of deal — this time, with his 81-year-old mom. Harrison has been sued by his mother, Joanne Harrison, who claims she has been cut out of companies, trusts and a safe full of cash and silver.
According to news sources, in addition to helping her husband lay the groundwork that turned into the “Pawn Stars” show, 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%). The lawsuit alleges her stake in the businesses has been reduced without her consent, and payments to her have shrunk in some cases and completely ended in others.
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.
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. The lawsuit also claims she was kept in the dark about a $3 million loan that was secured using some of her assets.
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