"People are going to think we are the most gullible people on earth" - MLB icon Jim Palmer & wife Susan sue hairdresser alleging $985,000 exploitation

Baltimore Orioles legend Jim Palmer made headlines when news broke he had filed a lawsuit in Superior Court in Orange County, California. The lawsuit alleges exploitation and fraud against a former friend, Warren Michael Holmes, to whom they made business and personal loans totaling $985,000.

Palmer's son, Spencer, is autistic and Holmes befriended both Spencer and the family, to the point where he was named Spencer’s guardian and put in charge of his trust fund. The suit alleges that Holmes pretended to be a prominent British hair stylist, and the loans were made to start a line of beauty products.

Jim Palmer is suing Holmes for breaching the loan contracts and both he and his wife, Susan, gave their side of the story to The Athletic:

“We understand people are going to think we are the most gullible people on the face of the earth,” Susan said. “Well, OK. I just want to make sure he doesn’t do this again.”

Jim Palmer said they funded Warren Michael Holmes' dream and he "just disappeared"

Jim Palmer shared his thoughts with The Athletic, reflecting on the situation and the future. The former Orioles pitcher is 78 years old and Susan has a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease. With this in mind, Holmes was supposed to be there for Spencer in the long term.

Here's what Palmer said:

“Whether (Holmes) hoodwinked us or not, there is no way in the world he could have without ingratiating himself into our family and giving us the feeling that if anything happened to me — because I’m 21 years older than Susan — and then Susan had some kind of memory issue or whatever, that he was going to take care of Spencer.

“That’s priceless. I’m not saying (it gives you) the right to steal a million dollars. But the bottom line is, emotionally, physically, we helped him. We funded the money to supposedly realize his dream, to allow him to be what he wanted to be. And then he just disappeared.”

Warren Michael Holmes has yet to provide any comments and a court date is scheduled for Feb.22.