The long-festering uncertainty around the arena future in Dallas has moved to the legal front as the Mavericks have sued the Stars for breach of contract, alleging the NHL team is thwarting improvements to the American Airlines Center, the current home of both teams.

In a suit filed this week in Texas Business Court, the Mavericks and its owners, Dallas Sports Group, make several additional claims, including that the Stars are “holding the American Airlines Center hostage,” further signaling what has been a steady deteriorating relationship between the teams. The Mavericks are now seeking court affirmation of a prior seizure of the Stars’ half of a joint operating company overseeing management of the AAC.

DSG is led by billionaire Miriam Adelson and son-in-law Patrick Dumont.

“After repeated failed attempts to bring the ownership of the Stars to the table and address improvements and operations of the AAC, DSG must, unfortunately, rely on the courts to confirm ownership of the AAC lease and allow DSG to make the desired improvements to the venue,” the company said in a statement.

The Tom Gaglardi-led Stars have quickly countersued, seeking to “restore normal operations” at the arena.

Future Plans

The legal dispute could have long-term ramifications for plans from both teams to develop new venues.

Front Office Sports reported earlier this month that a 2031 move by the Stars to suburban Plano, Texas, is among the team’s leading options. There, the team could build an expansive mixed-use development surrounding the arena, in keeping with a fast-growing trend across sports, and generate additional year-round revenue. The Stars already have their team headquarters and practice facility in nearby Frisco—something that the Mavericks claim breaches a long-held franchise agreement. 

The Stars’ moves, in part, stem from the Mavericks having started on their own path to build their own arena, without the hockey team. That effort is being led by Mavericks CEO and Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Welts. 

The Mavericks’ actions are “nothing short of a hostile takeover of the management of the American Airlines Center,” the Stars’ legal counsel said in a statement. “Their lawsuit seeks to marginalize the Dallas Stars to the role of a mere tenant, and ultimately, drive the team out of Dallas.”

The 24-year-old AAC is owned by the city of Dallas, but is operated by the joint company involving the Stars and Mavericks that is at the center of this dispute.

Parallels Back East

The Dallas dispute bears some similarity to the prior arena battle in Philadelphia between the ownership groups of the 76ers and Flyers. Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the 76ers, previously sought to build a new downtown facility, something that Flyers owner Comcast Spectator firmly opposed. 

That matter, however, never reached a lawsuit stage, and the power dynamic has been somewhat different, given that Comcast Spectator owns Xfinity Mobile Arena. Comcast Spectator and HBSE have since come together on a deal to jointly develop and own a new arena in the south Philadelphia sports complex. HBSE executives have said the expansive vision for the forthcoming venue, targeted for a 2031 opening, is to build no less than “the greatest arena in the world.”

Even as the Stars and Mavericks previously played in the now-demolished Reunion Arena in Dallas, there is likely no reunion happening between those teams.

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