BY ERIC D. WILLIAMS
Eric.williams@thenewstribune.com

In the federal court case pitting the City of Seattle against the Seattle SuperSonics ownership group, attorneys for the team filed a motion seeking to silence the testimony of two local celebrities who are familiar faces at the team’s home games.

On Tuesday, attorneys for the Sonics filed a motion requesting U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman not permit local sports radio talk show host Mitch Levy and Seattle author Sherman Alexie to testify during the trial, which begins June 16.

Pechman will hold a hearing on June 6 to determine if the two will be allowed to testify.

Levy hosts a popular sports talk radio show on KJR 950. In the suit, attorneys for the Sonics argue Levy should be excluded from testifying because he “has no testimonial knowledge that aids in adjudicating the case.”

The suit goes on to describe Levy as “an entertainer whose audience consists largely of male sports fans in the 25-43 age bracket. His show mixes sports and other topics apparently believed to appeal to his audience, primarily attractive women.”

Attorneys for the Sonics argue Alexie, described as a columnist for The Stranger, a Seattle alternative weekly, is a writer known for his profanity-laced columns about the Sonics in the weekly paper.

“While he is obviously a Sonics fan, he is just as obviously so biased that his testimony is of no evidentiary value,” the suit states.
While Alexie is a regular contributor to The Stranger, the Seattle author is a critically-acclaimed writer who has been recognized nationally for his work, including a National Book Award last year for Young People’s Literature.

The city requested that Levy appear as a witness because of his knowledge of the Sonics before and after the Oklahoma City-based ownership group purchased the team. Alexie, who is Native American, was requested to talk about the Sonics role in the Seattle metropolitan community from the perspective as a season ticket holder, and also discuss the diverse nature of Sonics crowds and the impact the Sonics have on minority communities.

The Sonics filing was in response to the city’s pretrial statement on Friday, which included a list of witnesses who would testify at the city’s request. Both Levy and Alexie were included on that list.
The Sonics filing follows the release of 470 pages of depositions last week taken by both parties over the last month, as the two sides ready for the trial, which is set to begin in 18 days.

The city is seeking to force the Sonics to honor a specific performance clause in the team’s KeyArena lease, which states the Sonics must play all of its home games at KeyArena until September 2010.
The NBA has approved the Sonics’ application for relocation to Oklahoma City, and the ownership group wants to move the team as soon as possible.

Review the court filings here and here.