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NY Post
New York Post
23 May 2023


NextImg:MSG claims NY State Liquor Authority ‘colluded’ with banned lawyers

Madison Square Garden is accusing the New York State Liquor Authority of “colluding” with lawyers it banned from the venue — to bring “bogus” charges against it, new court papers show.

The SLA filed administrative charges against MSG in March seeking to strip James Dolan-owned properties — including MSG, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre — of liquor licenses over a policy that bars lawyers with open cases against Dolan or the Garden from the properties.

Now, MSG is seeking phone records for a part-time SLA investigator claiming that he carried out the SLA probe “at the behest” of the banned lawyers — who brought lawsuits opposing their exclusion.

The lawyers with “an axe to grind” against MSG “have sought to weaponize the SLA to harass MSG and threaten the loss of MSG’s liquor licenses, and the collusion between the SLA and these attorneys is without question,” MSG’s Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit from Monday alleges.

The SLA investigation was “inherently compromised” and resulted in the “bogus administrative charges,” the suit claims.

MSG brought the petition to have a court enforce a Feb. 28 subpoena it sent to Verizon for part-time inspector Charles Stravalle’s call records — which MSG claims SLA has “stone-walled” to “obstruct” its defense against the administrative charges.

MSG is seeking the phone records of State Liquor Authority investigator Charles Stravalle accusing him of “colluding” with lawyers who’ve been banned from the venue to bring administrative charges against MSG.
NY Supreme Court

MSG said that it recently discovered that Stravalle has gotten very close with lawyers from Davidoff Hutcher & Citron and from Davis, Saperstein & Salomon — even receiving a “highly personal” shirtless photo from one of the attorneys, the court papers allege.

Both law firms have litigation against MSG over the ban.

Stravalle coordinated “sting operations” with the the lawyers to attempt to get them kicked out of the venue and then record the encounters, the filing claims.

MSG claims the SLA carried out extreme selective enforcement and went outside of its authority to bring the administrative charges, the suit states.

“The SLA is misusing its enforcement powers at the behest of politically influential lawyers, who sued MSG (some repeatedly) and have thus been excluded from MSG’s events while that litigation is pending,” the petition charges.

Samuel Davis and Mohammed Ali.

MSG says a photo that one lawyer Samuel Davis texted to Stravalle of himself shirtless –with Muhammad Ali — show their close relationship.
NY Supreme Court

Dolan reportedly had a private investigator follow Stravalle earlier this year.

On Dec. 15, 2022, Stravalle texted lawyers from both firms to meet him at MSG to “orchestrate and record a confrontation with security personnel” if either of the attorneys were kicked out, the suit claims.

And they apparently attempted to do the same thing at an MSG restaurant.

One of the lawyers, Samuel Davis from Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, has “a cozy relationship” with Stravalle, evidenced by his messages to the investigator — including sending him a selfie and also a photo of himself without a shirt on sitting with boxer Muhammad Ali and a message “younger days,” the filing states including images of the text exchange.

Madison Square Garden.

MSG started barring lawyers with pending litigation from its venue and those lawyers fired back with lawsuits.
Getty Images

MSG says the messages and other recent evidence it has obtained show that Stravalle and the lawyers have “coordinated to undermine” MSG’s policy excluding lawyers with pending litigation against it, the court papers allege.

But MSG suspects that the messages they have are just the tip of the iceberg and it argues it needs Stravalle’s full call records to see how far the alleged collusion goes, the filing claims.

MSG’s ban has come under fire not only from lawyers but also from state lawmakers and authorities especially after the arena used facial recognition technology to keep certain lawyers out.

State Liquor Authority badge.

The State Liquor Authority brought administrative charges against MSG and is seeking to revoke its liquor license over the lawyer ban.
NYSLA

Samuel Davis told The Post that he sent Stravalle the photo of himself because they were talking about boxing and Ali and the messages don’t “suggest a close relationship much less a collusive relationship.”

“It is not collusion when a person assists an investigator to prove a violation of the law,” Davis said.

“I’m the complaining witness against the SLA,” Davis said. “It was not collusion, it was to address a wrong that was being committed against over 1,000 lawyers.”

Jeff Citron, Larry Hutcher, and Sid Davidoff

Law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron was one of the firms to sue over the MSG ban.
Davidoff Hutcher & Citron

Larry Hutcher of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron told The Post the new claims by MSG are “simply absurd.”

“Once again, MSG and James Dolan are perpetuating a false narrative to avoid the inevitable reckoning of their wrongful conduct,” Hutcher said. “Their depiction of a totally proper investigation by the SLA of MSG’s bonehead policy as collusion with the attorneys, who were the subject of the ban is simply absurd.

“How else could the SLA conduct an investigation other than to deal with the people who are the subject of the ban,” Hutcher said. “We are confident that the court will see through this silly argument.”

The SLA and Verizon didn’t immediately return requests for comment Tuesday. Stravalle declined to comment.

In a statement, MSG co-counsel Jim Walden of Walden Macht & Haran, said: “We believe the incriminating evidence revealed by the communications between the SLA and the plaintiff’s attorneys is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what our motion and subsequent subpoenas will uncover. We look forward to exposing the SLA’s abuses and bringing the facts to light.”