RHOA Star Angela Oakley’s Husband Charles Oakley Ordered to Pay $642K to Madison Square Garden!
RHOA Star Angela Oakley’s Husband Charles Oakley Ordered to Pay $642K to Madison Square Garden!
Real Housewives of Atlanta star Angela Oakley’s husband, NBA legend Charles Oakley, has been ordered to pay more than $642,000 in legal fees to Madison Square Garden after a judge ruled he deleted key text messages during his ongoing court battle with the arena — the same one tied to his explosive 2017 ejection.
According to newly filed court documents, the 61-year-old former New York Knicks star is being held responsible for racking up massive attorney costs after failing to preserve subpoenaed messages.
“On or around July 10, 2024, [Oakley’s] counsel discovered that all text messages sent to or from [his] phone prior to February 2022 had been deleted,” the filing states, adding that Charles “had not ever attempt[ed] to preserve, collect, image, or copy [his] personal devices.” Madison Square Garden’s legal team — which included Randy Mastro, now working for New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration — billed $1,709 an hour, accusing Charles of sending them on a costly “wild goose chase.”
MSG initially demanded $1.5 million in sanctions, but Judge Robyn Tarnofsky ultimately reduced the amount to $642,337.65 in attorneys’ fees and costs.
Charles Oakley’s attorney, Valdi Licul, fired back, insisting the ruling is still excessive. “The court denied most of Madison Square Garden’s wildly inflated fee request,” Valdi said in a statement. “Nevertheless, we disagree that MSG is entitled to any recovery and will promptly seek to appeal.” The legal battle stems from Charles’ headline-making removal from Madison Square Garden in February 2017, when he was physically escorted out during a Knicks game.
Charles was arrested, though criminal charges were later dropped. He then sued MSG and owner James Dolan for defamation after James publicly suggested Charles Oakley had a drinking problem.
“He’s both physically and verbally abusive. He may have a problem with alcohol; we don’t know, right?” James said at the time — a statement that fueled Charles’ lawsuit, which was dismissed in 2020. Charles has long claimed he was unfairly targeted by James Dolan.
“They’ve got to apologize,” he told the Associated Press last year, revealing James’ lawyers invited him back to a Knicks game — an offer he refused. “Can [Dolan] be man enough to say mistakes happen, and he made one?”
Despite losing the latest court ruling, Charles Oakley says the fight isn’t over.
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Olivia Davis is a Staff Writer at All About The Tea. Olivia’s hobbies include binging Netflix series, and watching Housewives on Bravo. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in History.