Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer is taking legal action against a former family friend, accusing him of defrauding nearly $1 million. The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in Orange County, California, alleges that Warren Michael Holmes vanished after accepting $985,000 in loans from Palmer and his wife.
The friendship between Palmer and Holmes began in 2015 when Holmes, presenting himself as a British hairstylist, entered Palmer’s life. Over the years, Holmes developed close ties with Palmer’s wife, Susan, and his 27-year-old autistic stepson, Spencer. The relationship grew so strong that the Palmers designated Holmes as a legal guardian for Spencer and the manager of his trust in case something happened to them.
Palmer revealed to The Athletic that Holmes leveraged Spencer to build trust and solicit money for what seems to be a fictitious line of beauty products. Palmer expressed his disbelief, stating, “Whether (Holmes) hoodwinked us or not, there is no way in the world he could have without ingratiating himself into our family.”
In November 2018, Palmer claims to have loaned Holmes $750,000 to establish a holding company for his beauty products, named Love Brands. Four years later, with no repayment, Palmer extended another loan of $235,000 in the hope of kickstarting the company’s revenue generation.
Despite Holmes requesting an additional $2.5 million in March of the following year, Palmer declined and insisted on repayment for the outstanding loans. As of now, Palmer alleges he has not been repaid, and Holmes’s whereabouts remain unknown. The legal proceedings are set to begin with an initial court appearance scheduled for Feb. 22.