By Breaking Celebrity News Staff

A trial date is set to be scheduled in a lawsuit that was filed against Shaquille O'Neal by his former mistress, Vanessa Lopez, Breaking Celebrity News is exclusively reporting.

Lopez filed the lawsuit against O'Neal in Orange County, Florida, for intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault. Lopez says Shaq started harassing her shortly after she told him she thought she was pregnant.

DOCUMENTS: Read Vanessa And Shaq's Notice For Trial

The former NBA center initially accused her of sleeping with someone else and when she broke off their relationship, she claims the threats began. Shaq tried to get the lawsuit dismissed, but was denied.

In the suit, Lopez claims she was the victim of a number of scary incidents -- most notably a threatening text that Shaq allegedly sent to a friend of his saying, "dis is da numba shut dat b*tch up!"

Lopez says the friend responded with a text saying, "consider it done famo."

The friend then jumped on a plane to Orlando, Florida, and allegedly texted Lopez before calling her on her cell, sounding "menacing and sinister."

"A trial date is very close to being scheduled as settlement talks aren't getting anywhere," a source close to the situation tells Breaking Celebrity News. "The trial date will likely be set in the next 30 days and the trial could start later this year. Shaq would be forced to take the stand and answer blistering questions from Vanessa's lawyers, Gloria Allred and Nathan Goldberg.