Former New York Knicks forward Charles Oakley has been ordered to pay more than $642,000 in legal fees and costs to Madison Square Garden (MSG), marking the latest turn in his years-long legal fight against the arena’s owner, James Dolan.
The Judge Rules
The ruling, issued Oct. 31 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky, came after MSG’s legal team accused Oakley of failing to preserve key evidence related to his 2017 ejection from a Knicks game. This included five years’ worth of text messages. Tarnofsky reduced the original request of more than $1.5 million in attorney fees, finding that some of MSG’s billing claims lacked sufficient documentation.
MSG’s attorneys at King & Spalding argued that retrieving the deleted messages accounted for over $1.3 million in costs. The judge agreed that Oakley’s failure to maintain his messages amounted to bad faith, citing earlier findings by U.S. Circuit Judge Richard Sullivan that Oakley’s explanation that his phone broke when he upgraded to a new device was not credible.
“The court concludes that Oakley’s loss of his text messages cannot be credibly explained as involving anything other than bad faith,” Judge Sullivan wrote in a July ruling.
Oakley’s attorney, Valdi Licul of Wigdor LLP, said the former player plans to appeal the decision.
“We disagree that MSG is entitled to any recovery and will promptly seek to appeal,” Licul said.
The dispute dates back to Feb. 8, 2017, when Oakley was forcibly removed from his courtside seat during a Knicks game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The incident, which was caught on camera, showed Oakley being restrained by arena security before being handcuffed. The former All-Star was later charged with misdemeanor assault and trespassing, though the charges were eventually dismissed.
Oakley sued MSG later that year, alleging assault, battery, and defamation, claiming Dolan’s comments about the incident, including implications of substance abuse by Oakley, damaged his reputation. MSG has denied any wrongdoing.
The case was initially dismissed in 2021. A federal appeals court revived parts of it in 2023. While the main lawsuit continues, the recent sanctions ruling represents a major setback for Oakley, who has long maintained that the fight is about clearing his name.
Oakley played 19 seasons in the NBA, including a decade with the Knicks, and remains a fan favorite. Oakley’s career earnings are upward of $46 million, according to Basketball Reference.