Court filing says lawsuit to block Clippers arena in Inglewood designed to impede competition, stifle growth

An attorney representing Inglewood officials, including the city’s mayor, called a lawsuit filed by Madison Square Garden a “sham” in court documents filed Monday.

Madison Square Garden Co., owners of The Forum, sued Inglewood and Murphy’s Bowl LLC — a Clippers-controlled company — over plans to explore a new arena in the city for the team.

The lawsuit alleges fraud and breach of contract, claims attorney Skip Miller vigorously denied in the filing. “By its lawsuit, Madison Square Garden is trying to block the Clippers’ move and construction of the arena, to impede competition and stifle the economic growth of Inglewood,” the filing says.

Plans are for the arena to be built on the corner of South Prairie Avenue and West Century, one mile from the Forum.

The lawsuit claims the arena would violate MSG’s development agreement with Inglewood and accuses Murphy’s Bowl of interfering in the contract. MSG believes the agreement protects it against the construction of a competing venue less than a mile away and the project would “threaten the economic competitiveness of the Forum and directly undermine the purposes and objectives of the Development Agreement,” it said in the lawsuit.

“Unfortunately, the shocking and outrageous conduct of the Mayor, City officials and others have forced us to seek accountability in the courts in order to protect the Forum,” Marvin Putnam, the Latham & Watkins attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of MSG, said in a statement after filing suit in early March.

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