Forum owner sues Inglewood, mayor over land for proposed Clippers arena

The Madison Square Garden Company filed a lawsuit against the city of Inglewood, Calif., and its mayor, James T. Butts, alleging that they held secret negotiations with the Los Angeles Clippers about land for a proposed new arena, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

MSG, headed by chairman James Dolan, owns the Inglewood Forum, which is adjacent to the land in question. The lawsuit alleges that Inglewood and Butts breached a contract with the Forum by negotiating with the Clippers last year.

As part of its initial development agreement with the city, the Forum had leased that land for parking space with an option to buy. The suit alleges that Butts terminated the parking agreement so he could develop a "technology park" on the land.

The Clippers and Inglewood published a proposed environmental impact report for the new arena project last month, indicating the venue would hold more than 100 "family shows, concerts, conventions, and corporate events" each year. The suit also alleges that is a breach of Inglewood's contract with the Forum, as the potential new Clippers arena would be less than a mile-and-a-half away.

The Forum was the legendary home of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1967-99. It was acquired by MSG in 2012 and is now mostly used as a concert venue.