[外電] Owners: Belkin will fire workers
Owners: Belkin will fire workers
New motion asks for stay to preserve status quo
By TIM TUCKER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/23/06
If estranged part-owner Steve Belkin takes over the Hawks and
Thrashers next month, he "will most assuredly terminate the
employ of numerous innocent employees," the teams' other owners
contend in a new court filing.
Thursday's filing even hinted who one of those employees might
be, noting that Hawks general manager Billy Knight "has publicly
stated that he does not trust Mr. Belkin and has refused to
shake his hand."
In a 65-page filing, the owners who two weeks ago were ordered
by a Maryland court to sell their stakes to Belkin asked the
judge to stay the order while they appeal it to a higher court.
If a stay is granted, it would preserve the status quo during the
appeal process. If a stay is not granted, Belkin could take over
the teams as soon as July 13.
And if Belkin takes over, the other owners said in the latest
legal salvo, he "will undoubtedly" view the staff as "loyal" to
them and fire employees "who have made personal and family
commitments to Atlanta."
Belkin did not respond to a request for comment late Thursday.
The filing did not lay out the grounds for appeal, saying only
that there are "substantial and hotly contested legal issues" for
Maryland's Court of Special Appeals to consider.
The other owners — a group led by Bruce Levenson, Ed Peskowitz,
Michael Gearon Jr. and Rutherford Seydel — asked Montgomery
County (Md.) Circuit Court Judge Eric Johnson to grant a stay of
his earlier order without requiring that they post a bond during
the appeals process. They said they "suspect [Belkin] will demand
a bond ... in the hundreds of millions of dollars."
A bond would be designed to protect Belkin against any drop in
the value of the franchises during an appeal process that experts
say could last up to a year.
Johnson is expected to hold a hearing within the next week or two
on the
motion for a stay. His original ruling found that the other
owners had failed to abide last summer's agreement to buy out
Belkin's 30 percent stake in the Hawks, Thrashers and Philips
Arena, triggering Belkin's right to instead buy them out at
cost. In the order, the judge said the other owners should sell
to Belkin within 30 days.
While arguing against a bond as a requirement for a stay, the
other owners suggested in Thursday's filing that the court
instead place several conditions on them during the appeal
process. Those conditions would include that they remain
responsible for the teams' operating losses and that they make
no changes in senior management, led by CEO Bernie Mullin.
"Mr. Mullin's continued leadership will ensure that Belkin's
interests will be preserved pending appeal," the
filing said. "There is no question that Mr. Mullin is both highly
qualified and independent."
If the ruling is not stayed and Belkin proceeds to take sole
ownership of the teams next month, the other owners "will be out
on the street with ... no ability to protect their interests in
the event of a reversal on appeal," their filing said.
It also said that the long-tangled case could get even more
convoluted in the weeks ahead, noting that approval by both the
NBA and NHL would be
required for Belkin to close on a purchase of their stakes and
that "there is no guarantee either league will approve a buyout
pending appeal."
The leagues have declined comment on the matter.
The court filing also cited "the potential for flip-flopping
ownership," raising the scenario of what would happen if Belkin
buys out the other owners, only to have them prevail on appeal
and attempt to reclaim the teams from him later.
資料來源
http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0623spirit.html
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