Oakley files lawsuit

Charles Oakley filed a civil lawsuit against James Dolan, Madison Square Garden and MSG Networks on Tuesday, seeking unspecified damages related to the former Knicks player’s scuffle with Garden security during a game last February. The lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn federal court, accuses Dolan and the Garden of defamatory, libelous and slanderous comments directed at Oakley following the incident that led police to arrest Oakley. The lawsuit also accuses Garden security of assault, battery and false imprisonment as a result of guards forcibly removing Oakley from his seat a few rows behind Dolan, the Knicks owner, during the Feb. 8 game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Oakley, 53, was charged with misdemeanor assault as a result of the melee. He appeared in Manhattan criminal court last month and accepted a plea deal that allows for the charges to be dropped if he remains out of trouble for six months. He also was banned from the Garden for a year. Douglas Wigdor, Oakley’s attorney, said Oakley filed the lawsuit “out of principle and his desire to hold Mr. Dolan accountable for his actions, which I can assure you that our firm is committed to doing on his behalf.” The voicemail for Oakley’s personal cellphone was full Tuesday morning. He did not respond to a text message seeking comment. Madison Square Garden released a statement that said, “This is a frivolous lawsuit and nothing more than another attempt by Mr. Oakley to garner attention. We will deal with this accordingly.”