East-West arena feud

Inglewood accuses MSG of working with witness who allegedly

The James Dolan-Steve Ballmer battle is getting messier.

In a motion filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the City of Inglewood claims the Madison Square Garden Company is “in cahoots” with a woman it accuses of falsifying testimony.

Melanie McDade-Dickens, an employee for the City of Inglewood, flipped parts of her sworn testimony to support MSG’s claims that Inglewood fraudulently provided land to Clippers owner Steve

Ballmer to build his $1 billion arena, according to the court docs filed from the City of Inglewood.

McDade-Dickens has been placed on leave due to a separate ongoing fraud investigation, the papers state.

Among McDade-Dickens’ reversals, according to the papers, are statements “obviously designed to corroborate the testimony of MSG’s Irving Azoff,” most crucially centering on a dispute over termination of a lease MSG held on land that would be used for Ballmer’s project. Azoff is Dolan’s long-time business partner and in charge of The Forum, an entertainment venue situated about a mile from the proposed Clippers arena site. Financially, The Forum would be hurt by the competition.

McDade’s high-powered lawyer, Carl Douglas, implied a pro quid pro arrangement with MSG, according to the court docs. Douglas, who represented Michael Jackson and OJ Simpson in high-profile cases, is defending McDade when she was interviewed by the City’s internal investigator for a fraud claim against her.

“You guys ought to treat my client nice. MSG is going to be her best friend,” Douglas told the investigator, the court papers say. “I’m going to have her recant her deposition testimony.”

“This reckless allegation is a complete fabrication and underscores just how desperate the City has become as evidence mounts of its fraudulent conduct concerning the Clippers arena proposal,” MSG said in a statement. “Neither MSG nor its counsel had any involvement in or prior knowledge of Ms. McDadeDickens’ decision to correct her testimony.”

Inglewood further alleges of MSG and McDade-Dickens, “they are working together to block the Clippers arena. While the exact nature of their collaboration is not yet fully known, i.e., whether money or other consideration or promises changed hands, these shenanigans should not be permitted to affect these court proceedings.”

The latest filing is part of MSG’s lawsuit against Inglewood claiming Mayor James Butts entered a secret agreement with Ballmer and tricked MSG into surrendering land. Ballmer plans to open the arena by 2024 when the Clippers’ lease with the Staples Center expires.

The NBA supports the Clippers arena but Dolan’s allout blitz to block it – which includes expensive political