Cris Carter, the former Minnesota Vikings receiver inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame last year, has sued a Tyco International Ltd. unit that he said failed to fulfill parts of a 2012 agreement to buy a division of his Carter Brothers security business.
Carter and his brother John formed a strategic alliance with Tyco in 2002 in which Tyco agreed to provide project management services and manage a database of qualified subcontractors, while providing sponsorship, sales management, training, development and management support, according to the complaint in New York State Supreme Court.
In October 2012, Tyco Integrated Security LLC agreed to buy the equity interest in Atlanta-based Carter Brothers LLC, which consisted of a fire and life safety division and a security division, for $35.8 million, according to the lawsuit.
The brothers said in the complaint that while they met the conditions of the sale, the Boca Raton, Fla.-based Tyco unit has refused to pay $3 million that is still owed. The plaintiffs in the case filed last week include Carter Brothers Inc. and Carter Brothers Security Services LLC.
Carter, 48, was named to eight Pro Bowls during his 16-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Vikings and the Miami Dolphins. His best years were in Minnesota, where he had eight straight seasons with more than 1,000 yards receiving.
Stephen Wasdick, a spokesman for Neuhausen Am Rheinfall, Switzerland-based Tyco, and Ronald A. Giller, an attorney with Gordon & Rees LLP representing the Carters, didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the lawsuit.