Hall of Fame Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer is suing a former friend who he alleges defrauded him for almost $1 million before going off the map, according to The Athletic.
Palmer, who won 268 games in 19-season career with the Orioles, claims that Warren Michael Holmes misled him by pretending to be a “successful British hair stylist” to receive $985,000 in loans from the 78-year-old Palmer and his wife, Susan, to start a line of beauty products.
The first court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 22, although Holmes has not been served.
“We understand people are going to think we are the most gullible people on the face of the earth,” Susan told The Athletic. “Well, OK. I just want to make sure he doesn’t do this again.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Holmes formed a relationship with Palmer’s autistic 27-year-old stepson, Spencer, to help pave the roads into the family.
Holmes eventually became Spencer’s guardian and trust manager, per The Athletic.
“Whether (Holmes) hoodwinked us or not, there is no way in the world he could have without ingratiating himself into our family and giving us the feeling that if anything happened to me — because I’m 21 years older than Susan — and then Susan had some kind of memory issue or whatever, that he was going to take care of Spencer,” Palmer told The Athletic.
“That’s priceless. I’m not saying (it gives you) the right to steal a million dollars. But the bottom line is, emotionally, physically, we helped him. We funded the money to supposedly realize his dream, to allow him to be what he wanted to be. And then he just disappeared.”
The lawsuit alleges that Holmes tried to launch a haircare brand, “Poo,” and eyeliner, “BitchBrow,” in 2018, and he told the Palmers his products would be produced near their California home.
Holmes then stayed with the Palmers and received his first $750,000 loan in Nov. 2018 to start “Love Brands,” a holding company, and then received another $235,000 despite having not repaid the loan or launched any products by 2022, according to the report.
“…because he was concerned that nothing had launched, and without a launch of some product, Mr. Holmes would not be able to pay Mr. Palmer back,” the lawsuit said, per The Athletic.
Holmes allegedly told Palmer in March 2023 he needed an additional $2.5 million to create a “global beauty brand,” per the Athletic, and that’s when Palmer said to be repaid.
Palmer told the outlet cannot track down Holmes.
“It was a short-term loan,” Palmer told The Athletic. “It would have been nice to have a little bit of income coming in if his products were launched and successful — and the way he sold it, I would have bought the Brooklyn Bridge. He was a great salesman.”