A judge has dismissed former Knicks player Charles Oakley's civil lawsuit against Madison Square Garden and owner James Dolan. The judge said in a filing today that Oakley's claims of defamation, assault and false imprisonment did not reach the legal bar necessary for the suit to proceed.
MSG released this statement about the decision: "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."
The lawsuit stems from the February 8th, 2017 incident in which Oakley was seen shoving security guards as they physically removed him from his seat and placed him in handcuffs. Oakley claimed in the suit that Dolan directed arena security to "forcibly remove [Oakley] from the Garden and publicly embarrass him on live television," and also suggested that Dolan was responsible for the Knicks becoming "a laughingstock in the NBA, decried for their incompetence both on and off the court."
After the incident, Dolan went on ESPN Radio to call Oakley physically and verbally abusive, and speculated on his potential alcoholism. Oakley argued in the suit that those accusations were part of "a coordinated and defamatory public relations campaign against Mr. Oakley...all in a transparent attempt to denigrate his standing among Knicks fans."'
Following the scuffle, Oakley was charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of criminal trespass. Those charges were dropped shortly after on the condition that he stay out of trouble for six months and away from the Garden for one year.
Judge Richard Sullivan sided with Dolan and MSG, saying the "landlord" had the right to kick Oakley from the Garden, and that his refusal to leave justified their use of force to remove him: “From its inception, this case has had the feel of a public relations campaign, with the parties seemingly more interested in the court of public opinion than the merits of their legal arguments. That is perhaps understandable, given the personal and public nature of the dispute,” Sullivan wrote. "But while basketball fans in general, and Knicks fans in particular, are free to form their own opinions about who was in the right and whether Oakley’s ejection was motivated by something more than the whims of the teams owner, the fact remains that Oakley has failed to allege a plausible legal claim that can meet federal pleading standards.”
In a statement to the press, Oakley’s attorney Douglas Wigdor said, “Charles is not one to give up. 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.”
The Knicks are 17-38 this season, with the third worst record in the Eastern Conference, and appear en route to their seventh consecutive losing season. Fans recently broke into an aspirational "sell the team" chant in response to the team's horrible performance. Dolan then fired team president Steve Mills two days before the trade deadline; he is expected to name former Creative Artists Agency agent Leon Rose as his replacement.
