Charles Oakleys case against MSG gets dismissed for third time in latest twist to years-long legal drama
Charles Oakley’s lawsuit against Madison Square Garden and owner James Dolan was dismissed for a third time Friday, concluding another chapter to the legal battle involving the former Knicks star that dates back to when he was ejected from the Garden following an altercation with security guards in February 2017. MSG said in a statement that the claims were dismissed by the court “in their entirety” and that it planned to pursue legal action against Douglas Wigdor — Oakley’s lawyer — and “his unscrupulous law firm.” Wigdor, in a statement to The Post, expressed disappointment with the court’s ruling and still hoped for a jury trial. “For more than nine years, Mr.Oakley’s lawyers have pursued claims they knew were false,” MSG said in its statement.
“Those claims have now been dismissed by the Court in their entirety — for a third time.We are pursuing legal action against Douglas Wigdor, and his unscrupulous law firm, to hold them accountable for years of frivolous litigation and their blatant abuse of the judicial system.” The case was initially tossed in early 2020, revived later that year, tossed again in 2021 and then revived for a second time in May 2023. “We are disappointed with the Court’s rulings,” Wigdor said in his statement to The Post.
“We believe there are conflicting accounts and only a jury can decide what exactly happened.We are hopeful that the Second Circuit will agree for a third time and remand the case for an immediate jury trial.” Oakley, who spent 10 years as a player for the Knicks and was a key piece of the franchise’s success in the 1990s, was arrested and removed from the Garden during the Knicks game on Feb.
8, 2017, and while the charges were dropped, he filed a lawsuit later that year — alleging, in part, assault, false imprisonment and defamation.That lawsuit was dismissed in February 2020.
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of the battery and assault claims in No...