A dispute between Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm and his parents has escalated, with Daniel and Lisa Bohm hitting back after their son sued over allegations they orchestrated a plan to take control of his finances for their own gain.
The 29-year-old MLB pro claimed in his March 23 Pennsylvania state court lawsuit that his parents persuaded him in 2018 to let them manage his finances with warnings that external advisers would take advantage of him—but in the end it was them who took advantage.
“Daniel and Lisa misled Alec to believe that they possessed the requisite knowledge, skills, and experience to provide the same quality of services as any third-party advisor without any cost to Alec,” his suit says. “Daniel and Lisa also reminded Alec that – as Alec’s biological parents – their assistance always came free of charge.”
Daniel and Lisa Bohm set up multiple corporate entities designed to help manage and protect his assets, but Alec Bohm alleges they used the structure to wrongfully redirect money from him and act in their own interests. For example, Alec Bohm said in an April 9 affidavit that his parents transferred $528,618 from one account to a trust account in the name of their own attorney, Robert D. Eckard. The affidavit says they “effectively stole” that money. That money was transferred on March 5, according to a separate filing made by Alec Bohm. “In doing so, Daniel and Lisa evidently sought to set aside a war chest to fund their litigation expenses, weeks before Alec commenced this lawsuit, knowing full well that they never intended to honor the terms of their arrangement as represented to Alec.”
Alec Bohm wants that money returned, and his suit seeks at least $3 million in additional damages.
His attorney, Gary Devito of Zarwin Baum, tells Front Office Sports, “I think the motion speaks for itself. We believe the evidence will clearly show that Alec has a clear entitlement to the money that was taken by his parents as the supposed legal retainer and further believe the evidence will show several other wrongdoings by his parents.”
Daniel and Lisa Bohm made their own filing on Monday denying the allegations, and saying they acted within their authority as managers of the corporate entities. “Defendants did not embezzle anything,” the filing says.
The parents say the $528,618 transfer was “done openly and pursuant to their authority” as managers of the corporate entity.
They also describe the situation as a family matter that must be arbitrated in Florida. The parents initiated arbitration proceedings in front of the American Arbitration Association in Florida on March 30, one week after Alec Bohm filed his lawsuit. He has asked the court to freeze those proceedings, but his parents say other than their initial arbitration filing, “nothing has happened in the arbitration proceeding yet.”
Siobhan Cole of Holland and Knight, an attorney for the parents, tells FOS, “Dan and Lisa Bohm love their son and have only ever acted with his best interest in mind.”
“They are not ‘nefarious’ as Alec’s lawyers stated in the Petition and there is no ‘illicit scheme,’” Cole says. “They are parents who helped their son manage and protect his wealth, with the help of professionals, and that wealth is intact.”
Cole says an additional filing is planned for April 23 that will “further refute the careless accusations in the Petition.”
Alec Bohm has struggled to start the season with a .155 batting average through 15 games, but he was named a first-time All-Star in 2024 and came in second place in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2020. He’s earned just under $30 million total to date, and will become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
He is undertaking all of this with a new agent. He recently fired Scott Boras and hired Nick Chanock, who has previously represented him, according to The Athletic. In legal filings, Alec Bohm says that he hired Boras but chose not to hire a third-party representative to manage his finances “under considerable duress” from his parents. Boras and Chanock did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Eckard, the Florida attorney who represents Daniel and Lisa Bohm in other matters, directed FOS to reach out to the lawyers representing them in the Pennsylvania lawsuit.
