Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade in mediation over lawsuits filed by former business venture partners

Dwyane Wade at mediation over business lawsuits

MIAMI — Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade attended a mediation session Wednesday aimed at settling lawsuits filed by his former business partners, but no deal was immediately reached.

Wade attorney Michael Kreitzer said another meeting would be scheduled to try to work out an agreement involving off-the-court business ventures.

Wade’s ex-partners claim the NBA star cost them millions of dollars by walking away last year from a chain of sports memorabilia restaurants and charter schools for kids at risk of dropping out.

“We are not ready to declare an impasse at this point,” Kreitzer said.

Wade contends that he had every right to end his involvement in the D. Wade’s Place restaurants and the charter schools, now known as Mavericks in Education. He also has sued one of his ex-partners for defamation over e-mails sent to Heat President Pat Riley.

On his Twitter account Wednesday, Wade wrote: “A day of handling business.”

The Heat said in a court filing that Wade, last year’s leading NBA scorer and the franchise’s cornerstone, could risk injury if he’s tied up with legal battles during the NBA season. Training camp opens Sept. 29.

The lawsuits seek about $150 million in damages.