Karla Knafel

Indianapolis woman Karla Knafel is an ex-girlfriend of basketball legend Michael Jordan. Jordan sued Knafel in 2002, alleging that she had attempted to extort money from him in the 1990's through a fraudulent paternity suit. DNA testing has confirmed that Knafel's baby was not Jordan's. Knafel claimed in 1991, Jordan had agreed to pay her $5 Million after he retired from the NBA as long as she kept their alleged affair quiet. Jordan claims he never made this agreement. In 2006 a Chicago area judge ruled in favor of Jordan, that any agreement made between the two was not enforceable as Jordan was not the father of the child in question. This decision was appealed in December 2007 and the courts again ruled in favor of Jordan. In March 2008, Knafel appealed again, this time to the Illinois Supreme Court. The court announced on March 26, 2008 that they would not hear the case. No reason was given for the decision.

1. Jordan dated Knafel while married to Juanita Vanoy
2. Jordan and Vanoy were married from 1989 to 2006

• Topix.net: Karla Knafel News
• Google News: Karla Knafel
• USA Today: Illinois' high court won't hear appeal in Jordan paternity case (March 26, 2008)
  • "The state's highest court decided Wednesday that it won't hear an appeal in a long-running legal dispute over child paternity between the retired Chicago Bulls superstar and an ex-lover"
• ESPN: Court upholds decision in Jordan's favor in legal battle with ex-lover (December 12, 2007)
  • The judge ruled that any agreement between Jordan and Knafel was unenforceable due to Knafel's fraudulent claims about the child's identity. Jordan has denied ever promising to pay Knafel.
• Google Blog Search: Karla Knafel

• Media Law Prof Blog: Federal Appeals Court Affirms Dismissal of Defamation... (July 8, 2005)
  • "Knafel objected to words columnist Richard Roeper had used to describe her in a 2005 column. He said '...she's making herself sound like someone who once worked in a profession that's a lot older than singing or hair designing.'"
• Circuit Court of Cook County: Michael Jordan v. Karla Knafel: Appeal (February 3, 2005)
• NBC5 (Chicago): Jordan Lawsuit Goes Back To Court (February 3, 2005)
  • "The court had initially disagreed with Jordan's contention that he could not be pursued by Knafel for damages because the child was not his. If they had made a verbal contract, it could have remained enforceable."
• USAToday.com: Judge says Jordan not obligated to pay ex-lover (June 12, 2003)
• ESPN: Cashing in on the ultimate cash cow (April 15, 2003)
• CBC.ca: Mistress denies extorting Jordan (November 20, 2002)
• The Smoking Gun: Complete Knafel Countersuit (November 14, 2002)
• IMDb: Karla Knafel filmography

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