Oakley v. Dolan et al

Filing 1

COMPLAINT against James Dolan(in his professional capacity), James Dolan(in his individual capacity), MSG Networks, Inc., MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC, The Madison Square Garden Company. (Filing Fee $ 400.00, Receipt Number 0208-14114283)Document filed by Charles Oakley.(Wigdor, Douglas)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
------------------------------------------------------------------------X
CHARLES OAKLEY,
:
:
Plaintiff,
:
:
v.
:
:
JAMES DOLAN, in his individual and professional
:
capacities, MSG NETWORKS, INC., THE MADISON
:
SQUARE GARDEN COMPANY and MSG SPORTS & :
ENTERTAINMENT, LLC,
:
:
Defendants.
:
------------------------------------------------------------------------X

Civil Case No.:

COMPLAINT

Jury Trial Demanded

Plaintiff Charles Oakley (“Plaintiff” or “Mr. Oakley”), through his lawyers, Wigdor LLP,
hereby alleges as follows:
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT
1.

Charles Oakley, or “Oak,” as he is often referred to by adoring fans of the New

York Knicks (the “Knicks”), was the heart and soul of one of the most successful periods in the
history of the franchise, one which saw the Knicks assume their place among the most successful
teams in the NBA.
2.

While he never specialized in the type of flashy plays of some of his more famous

contemporaries, countless Knicks fans who experienced the gritty and successful teams of the
1990s undoubtedly have memories of Mr. Oakley going toe to toe with some of the legends of
the sport, single name icons such as “Michael,” “Reggie” and “Magic.” What became the
hallmark of Mr. Oakley’s career was that, no matter how famous the opponent, he never backed
down and defended the lane at Madison Square Garden (the “Garden”) as if he were protecting
his own home. This passion, commitment and toughness made Mr. Oakley a legend in New
York, and especially among Knicks fans.

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3.

However, one person who could not abide by Mr. Oakley’s refusal to meekly

submit to people in positions of power was Defendant James Dolan, who inherited control of the
Knicks from his father a year after Mr. Oakley’s career with the team came to an end. Whether
it was because of resentment for Mr. Oakley’s passionate following among Knicks fans, anger
that Mr. Oakley would not “kiss the ring” of the heir to the Madison Square Garden empire, or
petty insecurities driven by his own personal demons, Defendant Dolan constantly disrespected
Mr. Oakley, refusing to make eye contact or shake his hand during meetings, denying him the
type of fan appreciation nights given to much less popular and successful members of the
Knicks, and even making him purchase his own tickets to attend games at the arena he called
home for a decade.
4.

Defendants’ animosity came to a head on February 8, 2017, when Mr. Oakley

returned to the Garden to watch a Knicks game. Within minutes of unobtrusively taking his seat,
Defendant Dolan directed that security forcibly remove Mr. Oakley from the Garden and
publicly embarrass him on live television. Adding insult to injury, Defendants proceeded to ban
Mr. Oakley from the Garden indefinitely. Despite his immense contributions to the franchise,
Mr. Oakley was treated like a common criminal by Defendant Dolan and Defendants MSG
Networks, Inc., The Madison Square Garden Company and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC
(together, “MSG”).
5.

As if their public mistreatment of Mr. Oakley was not embarrassing and shameful

enough, over the ensuing days Defendants Dolan and MSG launched a coordinated and
defamatory public relations campaign against Mr. Oakley, baselessly accusing him of abusing
fans and staff, acting inappropriately and struggling with alcoholism. By propagating these
blatant lies about Mr. Oakley, Defendants Dolan and MSG have caused irreparable harm to his

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name and career and discriminated against him based on the false perception that he is an
alcoholic, all in a transparent attempt to denigrate his standing among Knicks fans. However, as
he did throughout his playing career, Mr. Oakley has refused to walk to the bench in shame.
Instead, holding his head up high, Mr. Oakley files this Complaint to set the record straight and
to hold Defendants responsible for their reprehensible conduct.
6.

In doing so, Mr. Oakley seeks redress for Defendants’ unlawful conduct in

violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12182, et seq. (“ADA”), the New
York State Human Rights Law, New York Executive Law §§ 290, et seq. (“NYSHRL”) and the
New York City Human Rights Law, New York City Administrative Code §§ 8-101, et seq.
(“NYCHRL”), as well as various state tort laws.
PARTIES
7.

Plaintiff Charles Oakley is a former All-Star power forward for the New York

Knicks, a 17-year veteran of the NBA, and a resident of the State of Ohio.
8.

Defendant James Dolan is a resident of the State of New York and at all relevant

times was Executive Chairman of MSG Networks, Inc., The Madison Square Garden Company
and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC.
9.

Defendant MSG Networks, Inc. is a publicly-traded, foreign corporation with its

principal place of business located at Two Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, New York 10121. At
all relevant times, MSG Networks, Inc. owned and operated Madison Square Garden and the
New York Knicks.
10.

Defendant The Madison Square Garden Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary

of MSG Networks, Inc., with its principal place of business located at Two Pennsylvania Plaza,

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New York, New York 10121. At all relevant times, The Madison Square Garden Company
owned and operated Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks.
11.

Defendant MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of

MSG Networks, Inc., with its principal place of business located at Two Pennsylvania Plaza,
New York, New York 10121. At all relevant times, MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC owned
and operated Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks.
JURISDICTION AND VENUE
12.

The Court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332 as this

action involves citizens of different states and the amount in controversy in this matter exceeds
$75,000.
13.

The Court further has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331

and 1343 as this action involves federal questions regarding the deprivation of Plaintiff’s rights
under the ADA. The Court has supplemental jurisdiction over Plaintiff’s related claims arising
under state law pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367(a ).
14.

Venue is proper in this district pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b) because a

substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to this action, including the unlawful
practices alleged herein, occurred in this district.
FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS
I.

MR. OAKLEY’S LEGENDARY CAREER FOR THE NEW YORK KNICKS
15.

Mr. Oakley, a third-year power forward at the time, was traded to the Knicks on

June 27, 1988.
16.

Over the next ten years, Mr. Oakley was instrumental in ushering in one of the

most successful eras in Knicks history.

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17.

At the time of the trade, the Knicks, once one of the NBA’s premier franchises in

its largest market, had fallen into disarray, having advanced as far as the second round of the
playoffs only twice in the previous ten years.
18.

Though the kind of highlight reel dunks and no look passes that made stars of

other players in the league were not part of Mr. Oakley’s game, his talents – defense, an
indomitable will to win and hardnosed play – made him a fan favorite and the engine driving the
Knicks’ resurgence.
19.

Over the next ten years, coinciding with Mr. Oakley’s tenure, the Knicks enjoyed

their most sustained run of excellence and reassumed their place among the league’s elite teams,
making the second round of the playoffs every single year except for one while Mr. Oakley was
on the team, in large part due directly to his contributions.
20.

By way of example, in 1994 – a season during which Mr. Oakley was

instrumental in leading the Knicks to within one win of a NBA championship – he was both
named to the All-Defensive First Team and appeared in the NBA All-Star Game.
21.

Additionally, Mr. Oakley was named to the All-Defensive First Team in 1998, his

final year with the franchise.
22.

Even now, nearly two decades after he stopped playing for the Knicks, Mr.

Oakley ranks among the top three players in franchise history in offensive rebounds, defensive
rebounds, minutes played and steals, making him inarguably the greatest power forward in
Knicks history.
23.

Put simply, Mr. Oakley is an iconic figure in Knicks history, whose name is

synonymous with the widely celebrated 1990s-era Knicks.

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II.

DEFENDANT DOLAN’S HISTORY OF MISTREATING FORMER
EMPLOYEES
24.

In 1999, Defendant Dolan inherited control of MSG, the Garden and the Knicks

from his father, Charles Dolan.
25.

Since Defendant Dolan became chairman of the Knicks, they almost immediately

relinquished their status as one of the NBA’s premiere teams, winning only a single lone playoff
series since the turn of the century.
26.

Indeed, the Knicks have unfortunately become a laughingstock in the NBA,

decried for their incompetence both on and off the court.
27.

The Knicks’ reputation sunk to unfathomable new lows in 2007 when Defendants

Dolan and Madison Square Garden LP were found liable for retaliating against a former
employee, Anucha Browne Sanders, who had complained of having been sexually harassed by
the then-coach of the Knicks.
28.

In fact, the jury found Defendant Dolan personally liable for retaliating against

Ms. Sanders, and awarded her $3 million in punitive damages from him for his unlawful
conduct.
29.

This pattern of retaliating against Defendants’ former employees who refused to

accept Defendant Dolan’s unlawful conduct sadly repeated itself with Mr. Oakley.
III.

DEFENDANT DOLAN’S ANIMOSITY TOWARDS MR. OAKLEY
30.

Mr. Oakley had never met Defendant Dolan during his playing career, or for

several years thereafter.
31.

Eager to bury the hatchet with the newly installed owner of the Knicks, given

what the franchise meant to him and all he had done for it, Mr. Oakley approached NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver to set up a meeting with Defendant Dolan.

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32.

Despite Mr. Oakley’s best efforts, even Mr. Silver was unable to convince to

Defendant Dolan to agree to a meeting.
33.

To this day, Mr. Oakley does not know the source of Defendant Dolan’s

animosity toward him. However, the ongoing nature of the animosity is obvious and wellknown, as illustrated by, among other things, the fact that Mr. Oakley – a true Knicks legend –
has repeatedly been forced to purchase tickets to Knicks games out of his own pocket, whereas
Defendant Dolan has routinely treated countless other retired Knicks players to courtside seats.
IV.

THE FEBRUARY 8, 2017 INCIDENT AT THE GARDEN
34.

On February 8, 2017, Mr. Oakley attended a Knicks game at the Garden against

the Los Angeles Clippers.
35.

Notably, Mr. Oakley was neither intoxicated nor otherwise behaving

inappropriately when he arrived at the Garden and was allowed to enter the arena without
incident.
36.

Mr. Oakley’s seats coincidentally were located several rows behind where

Defendant Dolan was sitting (Mr. Oakley obviously had no way of knowing whether Defendant
Dolan would even be attending this particular game, let alone where he would be seated if he did
so).
37.

Nevertheless, Mr. Oakley proceeded to his seats without speaking to Defendant

Dolan or acknowledging him in any way.
38.

Incredibly, within a few minutes of reaching his seats, Mr. Oakley was

approached by three large men identifying themselves as being members of Madison Square
Garden’s security team who ordered him, without explanation, to leave the arena.

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39.

Understandably confused, Mr. Oakley asked them why he was being forced to

leave when he had done nothing more than sit among friends in publicly available seats. Rather
than respond to Mr. Oakley’s reasonable question, one of the security guards proceeded to berate
him publicly by demanding loudly, “Why are you sitting so close to Mr. Dolan?”
40.

At that point, it became clear to Mr. Oakley that the security guards had been sent

to carry out Defendant Dolan’s orders.
41.

Embarrassed that Defendant Dolan was clearly attempting to publicly humiliate

him in front of the same fans who spent a decade cheering for him, Mr. Oakley responded that he
had done nothing wrong and had every right to attend the game.
42.

Mr. Oakley then proceeded to turn around and return to his seat.

43.

As he did so, two of the security guards grabbed him and pushed him to the

ground.
44.

When he got back to his feet, the security guards loudly reiterated their demand

that Mr. Oakley leave the Garden immediately, despite the fact that he had done nothing wrong.
45.

When Ms. Oakley continued to protest this outrageous behavior, the security

guards started to physically grab at Mr. Oakley to forcibly compel him to leave.
46.

Fearing for his safety surrounded by several large security guards, Mr. Oakley

pushed their hands away in self-defense.
47.

Within seconds, Mr. Oakley was turned around so his back faced security,

grabbed by six officials and thrown onto the ground.
48.

He was then put into restraints and the security guards roughly threw him out of

the Garden, again dragging him to the ground in the process.

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49.

Mr. Oakley was ultimately taken outside of the arena, arrested and charged with

50.

The incident caused an enormous spectacle during the game and was incredibly

assault.

embarrassing for Mr. Oakley.
51.

Mr. Oakley was also completely bewildered by the incident because, according to

the security guard who first approached him, all he had done was sit too closely to Defendant
Dolan.
52.

Following the incident, it was announced that Mr. Oakley was banned indefinitely

from Knicks games and the Garden generally.
V.

DEFAMATORY STATEMENTS BY DEFENDANTS
53.

Not content with humiliating Mr. Oakley on national television, Defendants

proceeded to launch a coordinated smear campaign in a further attempt to ruin his reputation.
54.

Indeed, over the next approximately 48 hours, Defendants made a series of

outrageous and patently false statements to the national media with the sole intent of defaming
Mr. Oakley.
A.

Statements by MSG

55.

On February 8, 2017, shortly after the incident, the Knicks public relations

Twitter account (@NY_KnicksPR) tweeted:
Charles Oakley came to the game tonight and behaved in a highly
inappropriate and completely abusive manner. He has been
ejected and is currently being arrested by the New York City
Police Department. He was a great Knick and we hope he gets
some help soon.
(emphasis added).

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56.

This statement is completely false and Defendants knew it was false at the time it

was made. Mr. Oakley at no time acted inappropriately or abusively. To the extent that Mr.
Oakley ever touched anyone, it was only after he had been roughly grabbed by Defendants’
personnel, in a clear act of self-defense. But at no point did Mr. Oakley initiate contact or
attempt to physically engage in an altercation with any of Defendants’ employees.
57.

The statement by the Knicks that the organization hoped Mr. Oakley would “get[]

some help soon” was similarly defamatory, as it blatantly insinuated that Mr. Oakley had a
substance abuse problem of some kind.
58.

It would later become apparent that this statement by the Knicks was part of a

coordinated media strategy by Defendants designed to propagate the lie that Mr. Oakley is an
alcoholic.
59.

The next day, on February 9, 2017, the Knicks organization doubled down on its

defamatory statement that Mr. Oakley had somehow been “abusive” and issued a blanket denial
of Mr. Oakley’s statements to the media that he had done nothing to warrant the physical abuse
from the security guards. Specifically, the @NY_KnicksPR tweet read:
Updated statement (2/9): There are dozens of security staff,
employees and NYPD that witnessed Oakley’s abusive behavior.
It started when he entered the building and continued until he was
arrested and left the building. Every single statement we have
received is consistent in describing his actions. Everything he
said since the incident is pure fiction.
(emphasis added).
60.

Upon information and belief, Defendants misrepresented the statements of their

security guards and witnesses, several of whom supported Mr. Oakley’s account of events and
were silenced.

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B.

Statements by Defendant Dolan

61.

On February 10, 2017, Defendant Dolan appeared on the ESPN Radio’s, “The

Michael Kay Show” and spoke about the dispute with Mr. Oakley.
62.

Defendant Dolan arrived at the show with a binder labeled, “Preparation.”

63.

Once the show began, Defendant Dolan confirmed that Mr. Oakley was banned

from the Garden indefinitely, and unleashed a litany of defamatory statements.
64.

On banning Mr. Oakley from the Garden, Defendant Dolan said: “I think the most

important thing with that is we need to keep the Garden safe for anybody who goes there . . . So
anybody drinking too much alcohol, looking for a fight, they’re going to be ejected and they’re
going to be banned.”
65.

Defendant Dolan went on to accuse Mr. Oakley several more times of being an

alcoholic and/or having been overly impaired during the game:
To me, Charles has got a problem. We’ve said it before; he’s his
own worst problem. People have to understand that. He has a
problem with anger. He’s both physically and verbally abusive.
He may have a problem with alcohol.
...
We know he said on TV that he was drinking beforehand. We
heard statements from police that he appeared to be impaired.
Our staff clearly could see that.
...
When you have issues like this, the first step for anybody is to ask
for help.
66.

Defendant Dolan’s statements were and are entirely without basis in fact, as

Defendant Dolan was well aware. Mr. Oakley has never had a problem with excessive anger nor
has he ever abused alcohol or any other drug.

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67.

During the interview, Defendant Dolan also repeatedly accused Mr. Oakley of

putting the safety of Knicks fans at risk, and somehow having abused them: “The No. 1 concern
has to be the safety and comfort of the fans.”
68.

Defendant Dolan elaborated, again stating that Mr. Oakley somehow put others at

risk and treated them abusively, when in reality he had done nothing but attempt to attend the
game:
We’ll probably hear chants [in support of Mr. Oakley] tonight.
But I would like for those people to look around and look at the
people working at Madison Square Garden and realize that the guy
they’re chanting for might have been a great Knick player, but he
was terribly abusive to them.
...
There were security people there who were abused. There were
service people who were abused. The same people who help fans
get to their seats, they were abused. With racial overtones, sexual
overtones. How do you bring your kids to a game if you think
that’s going to happen?
69.

Perhaps feeling he needed to justify his decision to have him removed and banned

indefinitely from the Garden, Defendant Dolan further defamed Mr. Oakley by stating that Mr.
Oakley had come to the game with an “agenda” to take some unspecified action against him:
It’s very clear to us that Charles Oakley came into the Garden
with an agenda. From the moment he stepped into the Garden, he
began with this behavior. Abusive behavior, stuff you wouldn’t
want to say on the radio . . . It just accelerated and accelerated
and accelerated . . . I’m not inside of Charles Oakley’s mind. He
did say a bunch of things along the way that looked like he was
headed in my direction. I didn’t hear them myself but we heard
from our employees that he was using my name a lot. But this isn’t
because I’m nervous. This is because you can’t do what he did and
stay. We clearly did not — we weren’t perfect here, and I think
Charles never should have made it to his seats. And that’s on us,
and we’re doing things to remedy that and make sure that never
happens again. … I can’t say for sure.

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70.

As with virtually all of Defendant Dolan’s statements during this show, he was

fully aware that these too were complete fabrications. Mr. Oakley had made no effort to
confront Defendant Dolan and did nothing to otherwise incite Defendants to forcibly remove him
from the Garden.
71.

At no point was Mr. Oakley abusive towards any of Defendants’ employees or

staff, as evinced by the fact that he was allowed to proceed to his seat without interruption,
despite being in full view of the public.
72.

It was only when Defendant Dolan first caught sight of Mr. Oakley that issues

C.

Defendant Dolan’s History of Baselessly Accusing Critics of Alcoholism

73.

Tellingly, this was not the first time that Defendant Dolan has attempted to malign

arose.

individuals who upset him with unsupported accusations that they were alcoholics.
74.

In February 2015, Defendant Dolan accused a fan of being an alcoholic merely

based on the fan’s sending an angry e-mail to him, writing:
Why would anybody write such a hateful letter. I am just guessing
but ill bet your life is a mess and you are a hateful mess. What
have you done that anyone would consider positive or nice. I am
betting nothing. In fact ill bet you are negative force in everyone
who comes in contact with you. You most likely have made your
family miserable. Alcoholic maybe. I just celebrated my 21 year
anniversary of sobriety. You should try it.
(emphasis added).
75.

In fact, less than two months after the incident with Mr. Oakley, Defendant

Dolan accused another fan of purportedly drunkenly heckling him, telling the press “he had an
open bottle of beer and smelled of alcohol,” an accusation that the fan vehemently denied.
76.

Indeed, it is clear that Defendant Dolan’s knee jerk response when confronted by

anyone that he does not like is to level unsupported accusations that his critics suffer from
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alcoholism, a particularly sad pattern in light of his own struggles with alcohol that he referenced
in the February 2015 e-mail.
FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION
(Defamation Per Se)
Against All Defendants
77.

Plaintiff hereby repeats and realleges each and every allegation in the preceding

paragraphs as if set forth fully herein.
78.

Defendants defamed Plaintiff by publicly accusing him of having committed the

serious crime of assault.
79.

Defendants further defamed Plaintiff by accusing him of suffering from the

loathsome disease of alcoholism.
80.

Defendants made defamatory statements that caused serious injury to Plaintiff’s

professional and personal reputation.
81.

None of these assertions by Defendants had any factual basis.

82.

In making these statements, Defendants were acting with actual malice as they

were at all times aware that none of the statements were true.
83.

As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ defamatory conduct, Plaintiff has

suffered and continues to suffer harm for which he is entitled to an award of damages to the
greatest extent permitted under law.
SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION
(Libel)
Against Defendants MSG Networks, Inc.,
The Madison Square Garden Company
and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC
84.

Plaintiff hereby repeats and realleges each and every allegation in the preceding

paragraphs as if set forth fully herein.

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85.

Defendants MSG Networks, Inc., The Madison Square Garden Company and

MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC defamed Plaintiff by, inter alia, publicly accusing him on
Twitter of having committed assault, having subjected other individuals to abusive conduct and
being an alcoholic.
86.

None of these assertions by Defendants MSG Networks, Inc., The Madison

Square Garden Company and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC have any factual basis.
87.

Defendants MSG Networks, Inc., The Madison Square Garden Company and

MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC were aware at all times that the statements were false and
made the statements in reckless disregard of their falsity.
88.

As a direct and proximate result of Defendants MSG Networks, Inc.’s, The

Madison Square Garden Company’s and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC’s libelous conduct,
Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer harm for which he is entitled to an award of
damages to the greatest extent permitted under law.
THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION
(Slander)
Against All Defendants
89.

Plaintiff hereby repeats and realleges each and every allegation in the preceding

paragraphs as if set forth fully herein.
90.

Defendants defamed Plaintiff by, inter alia, publicly accusing him of having

committed assault, having subjected other individuals to abusive conduct and being an alcoholic.
91.

None of these assertions by Defendants had any factual basis.

92.

Defendants made the statements despite being fully aware that they were not true

and for the sole purpose of attacking Mr. Oakley’s reputation.

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93.

As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ slanderous conduct, Plaintiff has

suffered and continues to suffer harm for which he is entitled to an award of damages to the
greatest extent permitted under law.
FOURTH CAUSE OF ACTION
(Assault)
Against Defendants MSG Networks, Inc.,
The Madison Square Garden Company
and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC
94.

Plaintiff hereby repeats and realleges each and every allegation in the preceding

paragraphs as if set forth fully herein.
95.

Defendants MSG Networks, Inc., The Madison Square Garden Company and

MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC intentionally placed Plaintiff in imminent fear of harmful
and/or offensive conduct when, inter alia, they physically and forcibly removed Plaintiff from
the Garden and subsequently detained him until police could arrive to unjustifiably arrest him.
96.

As a direct and proximate result of Defendants MSG Networks, Inc.’s, The

Madison Square Garden Company’s and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC’s tortious conduct,
Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer harm for which he is entitled to an award of
damages to the greatest extent permitted under law.
FIFTH CAUSE OF ACTION
(Battery)
Against Defendants MSG Networks, Inc.,
The Madison Square Garden Company
and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC
97.

Plaintiff hereby repeats and realleges each and every allegation in the preceding

paragraphs as if set forth fully herein.
98.

Defendants MSG Networks, Inc., The Madison Square Garden Company and

MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC intentionally and wrongfully physically contacted Plaintiff

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without his consent when, inter alia, they physically and forcibly removed Plaintiff from the
Garden and subsequently detained him until police could arrive to unjustifiably arrest him.
99.

As a direct and proximate result of Defendants MSG Networks, Inc.’s, The

Madison Square Garden Company’s and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC’s tortious conduct,
Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer harm for which he is entitled to an award of
damages to the greatest extent permitted under law.
SIXTH CAUSE OF ACTION
(False Imprisonment)
Against Defendants MSG Networks, Inc.,
The Madison Square Garden Company
and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC
100.

Plaintiff hereby repeats and realleges each and every allegation in the preceding

paragraphs as if set forth fully herein.
101.

Defendants MSG Networks, Inc., The Madison Square Garden Company and

MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC intentionally confined Plaintiff, with Plaintiff’s knowledge
and awareness and without his consent, when, inter alia, they physically and forcibly removed
Plaintiff from the Garden and subsequently detained him until police could arrive to unjustifiably
arrest him.
102.

Defendants MSG Networks, Inc.’s, The Madison Square Garden Company’s and

MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC’s confinement of Plaintiff was not privileged in any way.
103.

As a direct and proximate result of Defendants MSG Networks, Inc.’s, The

Madison Square Garden Company’s and MSG Sports & Entertainment, LLC’s slanderous
conduct, Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer harm for which he is entitled to an award
of damages to the greatest extent permitted under law.

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SEVENTH CAUSE OF ACTION
(Abuse of Process)
Against All Defendants
104.

Plaintiff hereby repeats and realleges each and every allegation in the preceding

paragraphs as if set forth fully herein.
105.

Defendants caused process to be issued to Plaintiff in the form of a criminal

106.

Defendants caused Plaintiff to be charged with an intent to do harm and without

charge.

excuse or justification.
107.

Defendants caused Plaintiff to be charged in a perverted manner with the intent to

accomplish the collateral objective of publicly embarrassing Plaintiff and destroying his
reputation.
108.

As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ tortious conduct, Plaintiff has

suffered and continues to suffer harm for which he is entitled to an award of damages to the
greatest extent permitted under law.
EIGHTH CAUSE OF ACTION
(Denial of a Public Accommodation in Violation of the ADA)
Against All Defendants
109.

Plaintiff hereby repeats and realleges each and every allegation in the preceding

paragraphs as if set forth fully herein.
110.

Defendants own and operate the Garden, a place of public accommodation.

111.

Defendants discriminated against Plaintiff by denying him access to the Garden

based on their perception that he suffers from alcoholism, a disability.

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112.

As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ unlawful and discriminatory

conduct, Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer harm for which he is entitled to an
injunction prohibiting Defendants from further discriminating against him.
NINTH CAUSE OF ACTION
(Denial of a Public Accommodation in Violation of the NYSHRL)
Against All Defendants
113.

Plaintiff hereby repeats and realleges each and every allegation in the preceding

paragraphs as if set forth fully herein.
114.

Defendants own and operate the Garden, a place of public accommodation.

115.

Defendants discriminated against Plaintiff by denying him access to the Garden

based on their perception that he suffers from alcoholism, a disability.
116.

As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ unlawful and discriminatory

conduct, Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer harm for which he is entitled to an award
of damages to the greatest extent permitted under law.
TENTH CAUSE OF ACTION
(Denial of a Public Accommodation in Violation of the NYCHRL)
Against All Defendants
117.

Plaintiff hereby repeats and realleges each and every allegation in the preceding

paragraphs as if set forth fully herein.
118.

Defendants own and operate the Garden, a place of public accommodation.

119.

Defendants discriminated against Plaintiff by denying him access to the Garden

based on their perception that he suffers from alcoholism, a disability.
120.

As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ unlawful and discriminatory

conduct, Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer harm for which he is entitled to an award
of damages, to the greatest extent permitted under law.

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Case 1:17-cv-06903-RJS Document 1 Filed 09/12/17 Page 20 of 21

PRAYER FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays that the Court enter judgment in his favor and against
Defendants for the following relief:
A.

A declaratory judgment that the actions, conduct and practices of Defendants

complained of herein violate the laws of the United States, the State of New York and the City of
New York;
B.

An injunction and order permanently restraining Defendants from engaging in any

such further unlawful conduct, including the policies and practices complained of herein;
C.

An award of damages, in an amount to be determined at trial, plus prejudgment

interest, to compensate Plaintiff for all monetary and/or economic damages incurred as a result
of Defendants’ unlawful actions;
D.

An award of damages to be determined at trial, plus prejudgment interest, to

compensate Plaintiff for harm to his professional and personal reputation;
E.

An award of damages to be determined at trial, to compensate Plaintiff for

emotional distress and/or mental anguish incurred as a result of Defendants’ unlawful actions;
F.

An award of punitive damages to be determined at trial, to deter Defendants from

engaging in any such further unlawful conduct, including the policies and practices complained
of herein;
G.

An award of Plaintiff’s reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs; and

H.

Such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper.

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Case 1:17-cv-06903-RJS Document 1 Filed 09/12/17 Page 21 of 21

JURY DEMAND
Plaintiff hereby demands a trial by jury on all issues of fact and damages stated herein.
Dated: September 12, 2017
New York, New York
Respectfully submitted,
WIGDOR LLP

By: ____________________________
Douglas H. Wigdor
Renan F. Varghese
Alex H. Hartzband
85 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10003
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: [phone]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
Attorneys for Plaintiff

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