Seeking a different judge to oversee its case, the Seattle SuperSonics ownership group filed a motion to replace Judge Glenna Hall in its suit against the City of Seattle regarding the KeyArena lease agreement.
And the team’s wishes apparently have been granted, as Hall signed the order to change a judge on Wednesday, according to Hall’s assistant Barbara Murphy.
“They feel a different judge will be better suited for the case,” said Louis Richmond, a spokesperson for the ownership group.
The motion was filed in King County Superior Court on Monday. Hall was appointed the judge to oversee the case after the City of Seattle filed its suit on Monday to bind the Sonics to its lease agreement until its resolution on Sept. 30, 2010.
Murphy said Hall signed the order for change of judge on Wednesday, and the matter is now in the hands of Chief Judge John Erlick. Erlick is expected to reassign another judge to the case in the next few days.
Ruth Bowman, a spokesperson for the Seattle city attorneys’ office, said the city didn’t have any concerns with Hall presiding over the case.
“This is just one more sign that the Sonics are form shopping,” City Attorney Tom Carr said. “They wanted to arbitrate the case in Denver, and now they want a different judge.”
According to Carr, the city’s lawsuit is designed to keep the Sonics from breaking the lease.
Specifically, the suit seeks to block the case from going to arbitration. It also seeks a judgment that upholds the specific performance clause of the lease, and it asks for the Sonics to pay for the city’s attorney’s fees.
The city’s action is in response to Sonics chairman Clay Bennett announcing that the ownership group filed for arbitration over the accord with the American Arbitration Association last week.
Bennett has said that if a tangible arena proposal is not presented in the next month or so, he will file for relocation, although he has softened on his imposed Oct. 31 deadline.
Bennett most likely will try and move the Sonics to his native Oklahoma City, where he believes the franchise could thrive as the only major professional sports team in town.