NEW YORK (CNN) — Ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez is asking a Miami federal judge for a delay in defending himself against a lawsuit accusing him of shooting a man in the face in Florida.
Hernandez, currently facing murder charges in the slaying of a man in Massachusetts, asked the court on Tuesday to grant him a temporary stay in the lawsuit.
Alexander Bradley of Connecticut is suing Hernandez, claiming the then-New England Patriot tight end shot Bradley in February after the two got into a fight at a Miami strip club. In a lawsuit filed in June, Bradley said Hernandez fired at him during a limo ride after leaving the club and that Hernandez intentionally “possessed a gun which he was not legally licensed to have.”
Bradley said he lost sight in one eye and continues to receive treatment.
In a motion filed by his lawyers, Hernandez argues that he’s unable to defend himself while battling murder and weapons charges stemming from the execution-style killing in June of Odin Lloyd.
Bradley appeared in July before a grand jury investigating Lloyd’s death. Prosecutors won’t comment on why Bradley was called to testify citing the secrecy of the proceedings.
However, one of Bradley’s lawyers has asserted the grand jury likely wanted to relate Hernandez’s alleged conduct in Florida to Lloyd’s slaying in Massachusetts.
Hernandez’s lawyers state “it is beyond any reasonable contention that the issues in Bristol County (Massachusetts)… overlap those of this case.”
In court papers, Hernandez maintains it would be difficult to adequately defend himself while simultaneously battling a murder charge from a jail cell where he’s being held without bail.
His lawyers also argue that if he had to answer questions in the civil lawsuit during an ongoing criminal case, he would be forced to invoke the Fifth Amendment to protect himself from self-incrimination. In some jurisdictions, they add, invoking the Fifth Amendment would amount to an admission of guilt.
Bradley’s attorneys have until September 20 to file a response.
Messages to Hernandez’s lawyers were not answered.
Hernandez is next expected to appear in court Friday in Fall River, Massachusetts, for arraignment on a grand jury indictment in Lloyd’s slaying and weapons charges. He’s expected to plead not guilty.
