Editor's note: This story has been updated along with a newer story below.
A Manhattan Federal Judge rejected Charles Oakley's lawsuit against New York Knicks owner James Dolan, stemming from an ugly incident in Madison Square Garden in which the Knicks legend was ejected from the arena, reportedly through orders of Dolan, before the former Knicks big man got physical with arena security.
Oakley, who claimed Dolan unlawfully removed him from his paid seat at MSG, was refuted by Judge Richard Sullivan, who ruled in Dolan's favor.
“Oakley grossly misunderstands the law concerning a landlord’s right to remove a trespasser from its property,” Sullivan wrote, according to Stephen Rex Brown of The New York Daily News. “The law is clear that the MSG defendants had the right to expel Oakley from the Garden and that his refusal to leave justified their use of reasonable force to remove him.”
Sullivan wrote that this case “has had the feel of a public relations campaign, with the parties seemingly more interested in the court of public opinion.”
Doug Wigdor, the attorney representing Oakley in this lawsuit, said the fight between the Knicks beloved legend and Dolan wasn’t over.
“Charles is not one to give up,” said Wigdor. “While we are disappointed with the ruling, it’s just the beginning of the fourth quarter and we are confident that we can turn this around with an appeal that we plan to file in the coming days.”
Oakley went to great lengths to get his side of the story in the media following the fracas, quickly gaining the support of the fans, who have long reviled Dolan as an owner.
Yet the big man will have to prove there was ulterior motives to get him thrown out of The Garden to have a palpable claim for discrimination, considering Dolan owns the property as well as the Knicks.
Madison Square Garden released a statement following the judge's verdict:
Madison Square Garden statement on Charles Oakley’s civil suit being dismissed by a judge today: “We thank the court for its ruling. This was an incident that no one was happy about. Maybe now there can be peace between us.”
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 19, 2020
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