Charles Oakley’s longstanding lawsuit against Madison Square Garden over his alleged assault by security guards during a 2017 Knicks home game has been dismissed on summary judgment, although the former NBA power forward’s attorneys intend to seek an “immediate jury trial.”
U.S. District Judge Richard J. Sullivan issued a 12-page ruling late Friday night, granting summary judgment in favor of MSG. The case was originally filed in September 2017, about seven months after Oakley was ejected from MSG during a game between the Knicks and Clippers. The longtime Knick claimed he was assaulted by security guards.
Knicks owner James Dolan, who was sitting near Oakley during the incident, was originally named as a defendant when Oakley sued in 2017. Sullivan dismissed all claims against Dolan in 2020, and Oakley’s surviving assault and battery claims are against MSG and its related entities.
Dolan briefly banned Oakley from the arena in 2017, but he retreated from the ban later that year, and Oakley has been permitted to attend games since. Oakley has refused to go to Knicks games at the Garden until Dolan apologizes.
According to the judge, new evidence that has been introduced—including videos, sworn declarations from eyewitnesses, and multiple depositions—confirms Oakley was not assaulted.
