NEW YORK ¨C Billionaire Steve Ballmer¡¯s plans to move the Los Angeles Clippers to a new home in Inglewood, California, has prompted a lawsuit by New York Knicks¡¯ owner James Dolan, who owns the Forum just down the block.
MSG Forum LLC, a unit of billionaire Dolan¡¯s Madison Square Garden Co., accused the city of Inglewood and its mayor of duping it into giving up its long-term lease and purchase option on 15 acres of parking space near the Forum only to find out that the city was secretly negotiating with the Clippers franchise to build a new arena on the land.
According to the complaint filed Monday, MSG invested $100 million in the Forum, the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers, to transform it into a live music venue.
Mayor James T. Butts ¡°repeatedly told the Forum that the city needed the land for a ¡®technology park¡¯ that would attract new businesses to Inglewood,¡± MSG said in a statement.
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