Telling Paul Lawrence, lead attorney for the City of Seattle, that you can't use attorney-client privilege at a shield and then turnaround and use itt as a sword, U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman denied Lawrence's request to call Seattle Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis as a rebuttal witness.

The City wished to call Ceis to the stand to refute testimony provided by Wally Walker that the city may have involved in a "poisoned well" plan hatched by Walker, Slade Gorton and other involved in a private investment group to try and keep the Sonics in town.

Paul Taylor, attorney for the Sonics, argued that it would be unfair to allow Ceis to testify because the Sonics had not been allowed to pursue discovery on what Ceis would testify to, and attorneys for the city had not waived the attorney-client privilege.

Lawrence did receive a small victory, when Pechman and attorneys for the Sonics agreed to stipulations in the record allowing the submission of the engagement letter between the city and K&L Gates that stated K&L Gates attorneys Slade Gorton and Gerry Johnson were involved in an effort to keep the team in Seattle, and that Seattle deputy mayor Tim Ceis had no knowledge of the "poison well" powerpoint plan.

Paul Lawrence has no began closing arguments for the city.