To lead the high-profile breach of contract lawsuit the Dallas Mavericks ownership filed against the Dallas Stars ownership Tuesday, the basketball club’s General Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer Sekou Lewis has tapped the law firm Jackson Walker.
Jackson Walker partners Charles “Chip” Babcock, Chris Bankler and associate Sarah Starr are representing the Dallas Sports Group and Radical Arena in the litigation against DSE Hockey Club.
The 31-page lawsuit, which includes 221 pages of exhibits, was filed in the Texas Business Court First Division in Dallas and has been assigned to Judge Bill Whitehill.
“The Dallas Mavericks bring this action against the Dallas Stars to enforce the terms of the partnership contracts the teams signed nearly a quarter century ago,” the lawsuit begins. “Pursuant to those contracts, the Mavericks and the Stars jointly owned the companies that lease the American Airlines Center from the City of Dallas and run and operate the American Airlines Center.”
“But the Stars relinquished their rights in that partnership when they breached their contracts with the City of Dallas and uprooted their headquarters to Frisco, Texas. The governing agreements could not be clearer: when one partner breaches its contractual commitment to stay in Dallas, the other is empowered to redeem that partner’s interest.”
The Dallas Morning News has extensive coverage of this lawsuit and the underlying issues that led to its filing.
The case number is 25-BC01B-0049.