The long-running feud between Madison Square Garden (MSG) and former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley has taken another sharp turn. MSG is now demanding $1.5 million in attorney fees, arguing it spent months uncovering Oakley’s alleged destruction of critical text messages tied to his assault and battery lawsuit against the arena.
In a motion filed Wednesday, MSG’s attorneys said Oakley’s legal team “actively impeded” their efforts, forcing the arena to chase false leads and waste resources. The fee request comes just one week after U.S. District Judge Richard J. Sullivan ruled that Oakley acted in “bad faith” by failing to preserve evidence and misleading the court.
Alleged Lies, Misdirection, and a “Wild Goose Chase”
According to MSG, Oakley’s side steered the defense astray from the start. Oakley’s counsel reportedly directed MSG to subpoena Verizon for phone records — only for MSG to later learn Oakley’s provider was AT&T.
“When Oakley was deposed, he lied and claimed to receive only six or seven text messages a day,” MSG wrote, noting that the false testimony forced the court to hold a credibility hearing in December 2024.
MSG said these tactics amounted to deliberate obstruction:
“The few questions they did answer contained blatantly wrong information designed to send MSG on a wild goose chase.”
