Two weeks after filing a case against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Francis “Lebron” Lopez’s agency SDS Sports Agency LLC has asked the North Carolina federal court to dismiss it.
SDS said that it has “found alternative resolution” to bring Lopez to the US and join Overtime Elite.
The case was SDS Sports Agency v. Mayorkas et al., case number 3:22-cv-00044, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.
Early this month, SDS accused the USCIS of undermining Lopez’s achievements because of his youth which resulted in the rejection of his application for an “extraordinary ability visa” last August.
“The fact that Mr. Lopez is already playing basketball at the highest levels of international competition despite his youth should have been viewed by USCIS as evidence in favor of his petition,” read the complaint of SDS Sports, who has Sherrod Seward as agent and managing member.
“Mr. Lopez was competing against top professional players around the world of all ages, not simply against other precocious youths.”
USCIS rejected the application a month later, saying SDS Sports hadn’t shown Lopez had garnered the international acclaim to be considered an “extraordinary talent”, according to a report of Law 360.
Lopez, 18, is currently in the Philippines and has once again been called up in the pool of Gilas Pilipinas Men.
Overtime Elite, meanwhile, finishes its inaugural season next month.
