Knicks legend Charles Oakley has filed a lawsuit against Knicks’ owner James Dolan and Madison Square Garden.
Former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley has finally made things official. Early Tuesday morning, Oakley filed a lawsuit against Knicks owner James Dolan and Madison Square Garden for the incident which resulted in Oakley’s removal from MSG back in February.
Oakley, who filed the suit in New York, is charging the various parties for assault, defamation and false imprisonment. In addition, the 53-year-old has added a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act to the list of charges, along with slander and libel. Those last two charges, presumably, stem from Dolan’s comments about Oakley’s alleged alcohol problem, days after the incident.
Of course, the Knicks legend was removed from MSG and arrested in February while attending a game. However, Oakley claims he did nothing wrong. But ultimately it was Dolan who wanted Oakley removed from the premises after a disagreement and verbal altercation between the two. Dolan banned Oakley from MSG for life, but lifted the ban days later.
Oakley was charged with multiple misdemeanors as a result of his physicality towards the MSG security team that night. However, Oakley has a deal in place to drop the charges. If the 53-year-old stays out of trouble for six months, the charges will drop. Additionally, Oakley must also stay out of MSG for one-year.
Oakley has yet to outline the compensation he would like for the trial. Instead, Oakley’s lawyers have requested a jury trial to determine the outcome and compensation for his emotional distress and repetitional damage. By and large, this trial represents the fractured state of the New York Knicks in recent years. With this trial, Dolan’s unpopularity grows amongst Knicks fans as what was once one of the NBA’s most respected franchises spirals into one of the most laughable.