The former T-Mobile chief executive John Legere is expected to be deposed in a $100m defamation suit brought by the Florida businessman Grant Cardone after he rejected an offer to settle with an apology from the ex-telecoms chief, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.
The prospect of a deposition raises the stakes for Legere, since it would involve lengthy questioning under oath about his past inflammatory comments now at the heart of the case.
Legere had sought to avoid the defamation suit filed in state court in Florida from advancing in recent weeks, and proposed a settlement that involved him making a public apology to Cardone, the people said. Legere also asked for a protective order to seal public access to the discovery in the case.
But Cardone, the billionaire private equity fund manager and vocal supporter of Donald Trump, felt the offer was inadequate and wanted Legere to reimburse him for what he has described as more than $100m in damages, the people said.
A deposition would mark the next major legal juncture after the presiding Florida judge William Thomas in May denied a motion by Legere to dismiss the suit. Reached by phone, Cardone declined to comment on reporting on his deliberations. Legere could not immediately be reached for comment.
The case has become a cause célèbre among some of the former president’s advisers and allies, in part because of Cardone’s links to Trump.
Cardone filed the $100m defamation suit against Legere in January, complaining that Legere, who departed T-Mobile in 2020, made allegedly false and inflammatory statements in heated public exchanges on the Clubhouse app and on Twitter/X in 2023.
The suit alleged Legere made a series of defamatory statements, including accusing Cardone of engaging in fraud. In one exchange, according to court filings, Legere called Cardone a “bullshit artist and sales and marketing guy who is always selling something”.
Cardone could face hurdles over some of Legre’s allegedly defamatory statements. At least one comment was couched by Legere as being protected opinionated speech – “my opinion is you’re a fraud,” Legere said – which has been a typical defense to defamation claims.
But the suit claimed that Legere’s comments about his character and business record caused his companies to lose about $100m in business. They also scared off some people Cardone was trying to recruit to withdraw from deals, the people said.
Cardone, a bestselling New York Times bestselling author who appeared on the show Undercover Billionaire, has for years been a major Trump supporter with ties to people in Trump’s orbit.
In February, Cardone and his wife set up a GoFundMe crowdfunding effort to help defray some of Trump’s legal costs after he was found liable for fraudulently inflating his assets and ordered to pay a judgment that ultimately totaled approximately $500m.
The fundraiser, which has raised just over $2m, came after Trump was the headline speaker at Cardone’s 10X Growth conference in Hollywood in March 2022. Trump appeared for a one-hour fireside chat with Cardone where he re-upped the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.
