*Zeus Network CEO Lemuel Plummer has been ordered to repay nearly $9.8 million to the company following an arbitration ruling that exposed a bitter dispute over money, ownership and control.
A three-member arbitration panel ordered Plummer to return $9,826,837 after finding unauthorized compensation, inadequately documented transactions and company funds directed toward a church led by his father.
The ruling stems from a yearslong battle involving Zeus cofounders King Bach, Amanda Cerny and DeStorm Power, who challenged Plummer’s management of company finances and his attempts to deny their ownership interests.
The cofounders are now asking a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to confirm the arbitration award, which would make it enforceable as a court judgment.
Plummer disputes how the ruling has been portrayed publicly, emphasizing that arbitrators rejected much of the disputed spending and did not establish theft, fraud or money laundering.
Scroll to continue reading
Where Did the Zeus Money Go?
According to Baller Alert’s examination of the arbitration award, issued April 24, 2026, arbitrators identified several categories of expenditures requiring repayment.
The largest involved approximately $3.6 million transferred through PayPal, Cash App, Venmo, Apple Cash and Zelle. Documentation supported only about $132,000, leaving $3.47 million subject to repayment.
Another $1.97 million involved cash withdrawals without adequate supporting records.
The panel also ordered Plummer to repay $1.44 million in compensation exceeding the salary discussed with his partners and approximately $1 million in reimbursements paid directly to him.
A particularly contentious finding concerned $625,000 transferred from Zeus to COGIC Israel, a church led by Plummer’s father.
The arbitration panel characterized those payments as misappropriation of company funds after testimony indicated they served no business purpose. That finding was made in a private civil arbitration, not a criminal proceeding.
Additional disputed transactions involved payments to Plummer’s separate media company and repayments on a loan for which supporting documents were not produced.
Cofounders Win Major Ownership Dispute
Beyond the financial award, the arbitration addressed another significant question: Who owns Zeus?
Plummer argued that King Bach, Cerny and Power were never legitimate company members because they had not fulfilled required capital contributions.
The panel rejected that position, citing company tax documents, the operating agreement and Plummer’s previous public acknowledgments of their ownership.
Arbitrators upheld each cofounder’s 16% ownership stake, giving the three a combined 48% interest. According to the operating agreement described in the proceedings, Plummer holds 42.67%, making him the largest individual stakeholder but not a majority owner.
The panel also found that the cofounders had repeatedly been denied access to financial records and ordered the company to provide required accounting information and resume distributions.
Plummer Pushes Back Against the Allegations
Plummer has challenged the public narrative surrounding the award.
In a statement covered by Complex, the executive called the reporting inaccurate and misleading, emphasizing that arbitrators did not establish theft, fraud or money laundering.
He noted that the cofounders originally challenged approximately $56 million in spending, substantially more than the $9.8 million ultimately awarded.
The panel accepted numerous expenses as legitimate business costs, including private aviation, transportation, security and entertainment-related expenditures.
Plummer also stressed that the $9.8 million is payable to Zeus itself, a company he continues to manage, rather than directly to the three cofounders. However, arbitrators separately ordered him to pay approximately $1.74 million toward the cofounders’ attorneys’ fees and costs.
The September 29 court petition seeks confirmation of approximately $13.78 million in total, combining the $9.83 million company repayment award, attorneys’ fees, interest and other costs. It is not a second, separate $13.78 million award.
The panel also awarded the cofounders symbolic nominal damages for certain violations of the company’s operating agreement.
What Happens Next for Zeus?
Although the arbitration award was issued in April, the dispute gained renewed public attention after the cofounders filed their petition in Los Angeles Superior Court on September 29.
The petition remains pending before Judge Rupert A. Byrdsong. Under California law, the court may confirm, correct or vacate the award, subject to applicable legal requirements.
If confirmed, the award could be enforced as a court judgment.
Plummer retains the right to challenge the petition.
The dispute comes as Zeus continues operating a streaming platform known for unscripted entertainment, including the “Baddies” franchise.
For Black-owned media businesses, the case raises broader questions about financial transparency, ownership protections and the challenges of managing a rapidly expanding founder-led company.
Whatever happens next in court, the arbitration has placed Zeus’ financial oversight, ownership structure and leadership under an unusually public spotlight.
(If You Like This EURweb Story, Please SHARE it!)
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Ray J Claims He’s ‘Suicidal’ After Wild Confrontation with Zeus Network CEO | Watch
We Publish Breaking News 24/7. Don’t Miss Out! Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
