Arrest warrant issued for Curry over failure to pay

Eddy Curry's off-the-court troubles continued earlier this week when an arrest warrant was issued for the Knicks center for the second time in four weeks, according to the court case information summary obtained by Newsday.

Meanwhile, Curry's Chicago-based legal team is attempting to remove itself from the case, according to the court documents. The Chicago Sun Times, citing court records, reported the lawyers wanted out because Curry failed to pay his legal fees.

Curry was ruled in contempt of court Monday in Cook County Circuit Court for failing to pay the remaining $100,000 owed in a previously settled civil suit with a woman named Christina White, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, the case summary shows. Curry must turn himself in or face being arrested by Chicago police. Bail was set at $100,000.

According to the case summary, Judge Elmer James Tolmaire III issued the first arrest warrant for Curry on June 22. That warrant was quashed on July 2 after an agreement was made by Curry's legal team from Belongia, Shapiro and Franklin LLP for Curry to pay off the debt. But when Curry failed to sign off on the deal, White's lawyer informed the court on July 16.

According to the court documents, a motion was filed Monday by Curry lawyer Kelly Saindon to withdraw from the case. Judge Alexander P. White denied the motion.

Curry, 27, has endured financial issues dating to June 2009, when his $3.7-million home in Burr Ridge, Ill., went into foreclosure. In July 2009, Curry sued his former agent, Lamont Carter, for failing to disclose information about Curry's finances to the Knicks center.

In May, Curry was back in court when he defaulted on a $570,000 personal loan and was ordered by a Manhattan court to pay $75,000 per month to the lender, Allstar Capital, Inc. In the hearing, it was revealed that Curry also owed Heat center Juwan Howard $350,000 from a personal loan Howard provided to Curry.

In June, Curry locked in the final year of his contract with the Knicks, who will pay him $11.3 million for the 2010-11 season. According to a person with direct knowledge of the contract, Curry received a lump sum of 50 percent of his salary July 1 and will be paid the rest in the usual bi-weekly manner during the regular season.

Curry had been working out at the MSG Training Center to prepare for the coming season and was maintaining a weight of less than 300 pounds. He left in late June to return to his offseason home in Chicago to be with his wife, Patrice, who gave birth to the couple's fifth child, a boy, on July 15.

The Dolan family owns

controlling interests in the Knicks, MSG and Cablevision. Cablevision owns Newsday.