Todd Bertuzzi may have a new home in Florida, but the off-season home of the former Vancouver Canuck is at the heart of a legal proceeding involving injured hockey player Steve Moore.

Bertuzzi, who was traded to the Florida Panthers last week, and his wife Julie are the defendants in a lawsuit filed on March 6 by Moore and his parents. It accuses the Bertuzzis of fraud and asks for $100,000 in punitive damages.

Steve Moore is suing Todd Bertuzzi for fraud.
(Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

The suit claims that five weeks after Bertuzzi’s attack on Moore during a game on March 8, 2004, the joint ownership of the couple’s home in Kitchener was legally changed to place it in the sole possession of Bertuzzi’s wife.

According to the suit, the Bertuzzi home is worth more than $1.2 million, but was transferred to Julie Bertuzzi for $2. Supporting documents listed in the suit state the Bertuzzis' explanation for the $2 transaction was a “transfer from husband and wife for natural love and affection.”

The lawsuit claims the sale was one step in Bertuzzi's attempt to make himself "creditor-proof."

Moore's lawyer, Tim Danson, declined comment on the lawsuit when contacted by CBC, and Bertuzzi’s agent Pat Morris did not return phone calls as of Wednesday.

Legal experts say this kind of procedure happens between husband and wife quite often, usually for tax purposes. This latest lawsuit claims that Bertuzzi’s decision to transfer ownership of the property was intended  “to defeat, hinder, delay, or defraud the plaintiffs of their just and lawful actions and entitlements.”

The suit states that during Bertuzzi’s sentencing, his lawyer told the judge they anticipated legal proceedings by Moore and that fact was raised again during Bertuzzi’s NHL reinstatement hearing in April of last year.

Civil litigation expert Alan Lenczner told the CBC’s Tom Harrington that because the real estate transaction took place only weeks after the on-ice incident, it could be interpreted as a move by Bertuzzi’s representatives in anticipation of future legal proceedings.

Moore, then a member of the Colorado Avalanche, suffered head and neck injuries when punched by Bertuzzi and has not played in the NHL since the incident. He and his parents have a multi-million lawsuit pending in Toronto against Bertuzzi, the Canucks and Orca Bay, the team’s corporate owners.

Bertuzzi was suspended by the NHL for the 2004 playoffs. In December of that year, he pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm, and was sentenced to community service.