World
Charles Oakley, MSG Still Sparring as Judge Weighs Dolan Testimony
A federal judge in New York last Thursday issued a mixed set of rulings in retired New York Knicks star Charles Oakley’s long-lasting litigation against Madison Square Garden Networks over Oakley’s removal from his seat at a Knicks game in February 2017. The rulings indicate that unless the parties reach a settlement, a dispute that began shortly after Donald Trump became the 45th president could last well into Trump’s term as the 47th president.
U.S. District Judge Richard J. Sullivan sided with MSG on its demand that MSG chairman James Dolan face deposition only after MSG personnel are deposed. Sullivan agreed with MSG that having Dolan go last would help to “narrow the scope” of Dolan’s deposition. The judge reasoned that MSG employees “who were directly involved in Oakley’s removal and thus have the knowledge most relevant to determining whether unreasonable force was used against Oakley” should go first.
The fact that MSG employees haven’t yet been deposed is partly a reflection of the litigation’s turbulent path. The case has been dismissed twice at the trial level but reinstated twice by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, meaning it’s now in round three at the Southern District of New York. There are also disputed questions about key testimony and evidence that could further bog down the case. In the current version of the litigation, Oakley’s civil case is related to assault and battery claims stemming from his removal.
While Sullivan agreed Dolan would face deposition after MSG personnel, he sided against MSG’s request that Dolan not face deposition at all.
The judge explained that Oakley’s assault and battery claims “ultimately boil down to two considerations.” The first is the amount of force MSG staff used to remove Oakley from the Garden and, second, whether that force “was objectively reasonable under the circumstances.”
Oakley believes Dolan instructed staff to remove him. Sullivan reasoned that Dolan’s potential testimony is relevant in that he would have to answer under oath about whether he instructed—by words and/or “hand gestures”—the security guards to push Oakley and use excessive force. If Dolan gave an instruction to use force, his testimony, Sullivan wrote, “would support the reasonable inference that the guards followed Dolan’s instructions and would therefore make it more probable that the guards did in fact push him.”
Sullivan further observed that Dolan’s testimony is relevant to a key factual question: Whether the security guards “only resorted to force after Oakley physically escalated the situation.” Oakley’s case would be hampered by a finding that he instigated the altercation, since, Sullivan explained, “it might have been reasonable for the security guards to use greater force if Oakley was behaving aggressively.”
The judge was similarly unpersuaded that Dolan ought to be exempt from deposition on account of the apex-witness doctrine. As Sportico detailed in September when Sullivan rejected MSG’s earlier attempt to invoke this doctrine, high-ranking executives are sometimes exempt from depositions since they lack personal knowledge of key facts. In his latest ruling, Sullivan said Dolan “is not the prototypical apex witness who sits in the knowledge or involvement in the underlying conduct.”
Instead, Dolan literally “had a courtside seat to the action” and is accused of being involved in the incident. “The apex doctrine is plainly inapplicable here,” Sullivan insisted.
Sullivan also disagreed with MSG that Oakley is merely trying to depose Dolan to harass him. MSG cites text messages sent to Oakley from people urging the former player to go after Dolan, with one text saying Oakley should “sue the [expletive] out of Dolan.” Another text encouraged Oakley to use the discovery process to inflict a “public relations, social media, [and] social responsibility toll.” With negative attention stemming from the case, MSG might be more inclined to cut a deal. Sullivan didn’t find this evidence indicative of an intent by Oakley to harass, as there’s no evidence Oakley responded or otherwise endorsed the texts.
“We are pleased that the Court denied James Dolan’s latest attempt to avoid being deposed in this case,” Wigdor Law partner Valdi Licul, who is one of Oakley’s attorneys, told Sportico in a statement.
In September, the two sides told Sullivan their “present best estimate” was that a trial would take a couple of weeks. The judge at the time indicated there would be a post-discovery conference on March 4, 2025, though the parties’ recent disagreement about discovery suggests the case has a long way to go.
(In the next-to-last paragraph, Wigdor Law amended its original statement, replacing “to be excused from deposition in this case” to read “to avoid being deposed in this case.”)
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices rose in early trading Sunday as a standoff between Iran and the U.S. prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway that is crucial to global energy supplies.
The price of U.S. crude oil increased 6.4% to $87.90 per barrel an hour after trading resumed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 5.8% to $95.64 per barrel.
The market reaction followed more than two days of lifted hopes and dashed expectations involving the strait. Crude prices plunged more than 9% Friday after Iran said it would fully reopen the strait, which it effectively controls, to commercial traffic.
Tehran reversed that decision and fired on several vessels Saturday after President Donald Trump said a U.S. Navy blockade of Iranian ports would remain in effect. On Sunday, Trump said the U.S. attacked and forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that allegedly tried to get around the blockade. Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond.
Sunday’s higher prices wiped out much of the declines seen Friday, signaling renewed doubts about how soon ships will again transport the vast amounts oil the world gets from the Middle East.
The US-Israeli war against Iran, now in its eighth week, has created one of the worst global energy crises in decades. Countries in Asia and Europe that import much of their oil from the Gulf have felt the most impact of halted supplies and production cuts, although rapidly rising gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices are affecting businesses and consumers worldwide.
Asked when he thought U.S. motorists would again see gas cost less than $3 a gallon on average, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said prices at the pump might not go down that much until next year.
“But prices have likely peaked, and they’ll start going down,” Wright told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
The price of crude oil — the main ingredient in gasoline — has fluctated dramatically since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and as Iran retaliated with airstrikes on other Gulf states. Crude traded at roughly $70 a barrel before the conflict, spiked to more than $119 at times, and previously closed Friday at $82.59 for U.S. oil and $90.38 for Brent.
Industry analysts have repeatedly warned that the longer the strait is closed, the worse prices could get.
A fragile, two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire Wednesday, while escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz puts the fate of new talks to end the war into question.
Even if a lasting deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz emerges, analysts say it could take months for oil shipments to return to normal levels and for fuel prices to go down. Backed-up tanker traffic, shipowners concerned about another sudden escalation, and energy infrastructure damaged during the war are factors that could impede production and shipment volumes from returning to pre-war levels.
A gallon of regular gas cost an average of nearly $4.05 a gallon in the U.S. on Sunday, according to motor club federation AAA. That’s about 8 cents lower than a week ago, but far higher than $2.98 before the war.
Trump warns Iran it ‘can’t blackmail’ US with Hormuz closure
Fox News reports on heightened tensions in the Middle East as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reaffirms strict control over the Strait of Hormuz and fires on passing ships. President Donald Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, states the US naval blockade will remain in full force. White House correspondent Alex Hogan provides updates on the escalating diplomatic and military standoff.
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Hundreds of commercial tankers are stranded on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran shut the critical chokepoint on April 18, halting traffic and leaving crews trapped amid reports of gunfire and “traumatic experiences” on board.
The Strait of Hormuz is considered an international waterway under international law, through which ships have the right of transit passage, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it a critical chokepoint for global energy markets, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Iranian gunboats opened fire on a tanker the same day, while a projectile struck a container vessel, damaging cargo.
STARMER AND MACRON ACCUSED OF ‘PLAYING AT BEING RELEVANT’ WITH STRAIT OF HORMUZ PLAN
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that “U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are among the assets executing a blockade mission impacting Iranian ports.” (CENTCOM)
Audio released by maritime monitoring group TankerTrackers appears to capture the moment a vessel and its crew came under fire while approaching the strait, including a distress call from a crew member.
“Sepah Navy! Motor tanker Sanmar Herald! You gave me clearance to go… you are firing now. Let me turn back!” the crew member can be heard saying in the recording, according to TankerTrackers.
Iranian state media confirmed that shots were fired near vessels to force them to turn back, while the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India said the foreign secretary was deeply concerned.
Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth-largest container shipping line, told Fox News Digital that it had activated a crisis team as its crews remain stuck on board vessels in the region.
“We have been working from Friday afternoon until today with the entire crisis team to bring the vessels out — in vain, unfortunately,” said Nils Haupt, senior director of group communications at Hapag-Lloyd AG.
“These events can easily lead to traumatic experiences. There is also a significant risk from sea mines, which has made insuring vessels for passage through the Strait nearly impossible.”
LISA DAFTARI: HORMUZ WHIPLASH PROVES TEHRAN CAN’T HONOR ANY DEAL IT SIGNS
“The crews are well, but they are becoming increasingly impatient and frustrated. It is very unfortunate that we could not leave today,” he added. “Many ships are still stuck in the Persian Gulf.”
“Our six ships are anchored near the port of Dubai, and all crews hope for an improvement in the situation,” Haupt said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on April 18 that the strait would remain closed until the U.S. lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, warning ships not to move from anchorage or risk being treated as “enemy” collaborators.
Iran has previously argued that restrictions on its oil exports and shipping amount to “economic warfare,” framing actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a response to foreign pressure on its economy, according to statements from Iranian officials and state media in past incidents.
“Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and any violating vessel will be targeted,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
TRUMP ORDERS A BLOCKADE IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TENSIONS WITH IRAN SOAR
Fishing boats dot the sea as cargo ships, in the background, sail through the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz off the United Arab Emirates, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo)
The United States imposed the blockade on Iranian ports to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait, with U.S. Central Command saying the measures are being enforced “impartially against all vessels.”
Hapag-Lloyd said its vessels have been stuck for weeks following the initial closure after the outbreak of war with Iran on Feb. 28.
“For us, it is critical that our vessels can pass through the strait soon,” Haupt said.
“We offer all crew members unlimited data so they can video call loved ones and access entertainment. Crews are strong, but after weeks on board there is growing monotony and frustration.”
“One crew experienced a fire on board from bomb fragments. Others have seen missiles or drones near their vessels,” he added.
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“They are resilient, but each additional day makes the situation more difficult, more monotonous, and more stressful.”
President Donald Trump said Iran had agreed not to close the strait again but after the closure, Trump called the situation “blackmail” and said the U.S. would not back down.
Shops and schools shut in northern Israel as residents protested a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon that took effect on April 16, saying “nothing was achieved”. Israeli officials say operations may continue, with forces still deployed inside southern Lebanon.
Published On 19 Apr 2026
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