To Richard Malin, Plaxico Burress wasn't a customer, he was an ordeal.

It was 2002 when Burress, then playing for the Steelers, hired Malin, a home inspector, to look over a house he was buying in suburban Pittsburgh.

Malin quoted Burress a price of just under $500 and got the job.

He should've turned it down, Malin now says.

When it came time to pay the bill, Burress disappeared. He didn't respond to phone calls or letters. Malin appealed to one of the star's handlers for help, but still no payment. Malin filed a lawsuit, but Burress ignored it.

After a judge ruled against the no-show NFL player, he sent Malin a check for $700.

"I got a note from Plaxico saying, 'Sorry for the inconvenience. Please inform the court that the judgment has been paid,' " Malin said.

"Then the check bounced."

It is a familiar story for the 31-year-old New York Giants wide receiver. Now facing felony gun charges after he accidentally shot himself in the leg with an .40-caliber Glock at a Manhattan nightclub, Burress has a history of being sued over debts a millionaire professional athlete seemingly could have paid. The Associated Press found that since Burress joined the NFL in 2000, he has been sued at least nine times by people who said he failed to pay a debt, damaged their car or didn't pay his taxes.

The people seeking payment from the football star run the gamut, from a Pennsylvania homeowners association trying to collect delinquent dues to a Florida woman whose car Burress rear-ended while driving without insurance. Why? He hadn't paid the premium.

The pattern of irresponsible behavior extends beyond unpaid debts, records show.

In his hometown of Virginia Beach, Va., Burress has been fined for reckless driving, noise and public intoxication, and threatened with arrest after he didn't show up in court. Last year in Florida police twice cited Burress for speeding in the weeks before the car crash, which also earned him a ticket for careless driving. Police visited his house in Totowa, N.J., twice last year on domestic dispute calls. His wife was granted temporary restraining orders both times, only to request they be lifted, according to court records.

Burress faces a March 31 court date stemming from the November shooting, an incident that has jeopardized his future with the New York Giants, who in September gave Burress a $35 million contract extension. The Giants suspended Burress for the final four games and the incident has cost him $2 million in income, though the NFL players' union has filed two grievances.

Although Burress' creditors say they don't enjoy going to court to collect, he usually pays up, even if it takes a lawsuit or judge to persuade him.

"This is a history of him just doing anything he wants to do," said Brian Van Dusen, a Pittsburgh nightlife promoter who sued Burress in 2005 over a debt.