The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors have dropped a lawsuit involving the alleged theft of hundreds of recordsdata that have been tied to the Raptors’ hiring of Darko Rajaković as coach in 2023. The Knicks dismissed their lawsuit towards the Raptors and Maple Leaf Sports activities and Leisure, which owns and operates the Raptors, on Friday, in keeping with a authorized submitting by the group within the U.S. District Legal professional’s Workplace for the Southern District of New York.
The Knicks dismissed the case “with prejudice,” completely ending the matter.
“The Knicks and MLSE withdrew their respective claims and the matter is resolved,” a Raptors spokesperson stated in a press release to The Athletic. “The events are targeted on the long run.”
The lawsuit alleged that Ikechukwu Azotam, a former Knicks worker who joined the Raptors in the summertime 2023, stole proprietary data and took it with him to his new Raptors job.
The Knicks alleged within the swimsuit that not solely did Rajaković find out about what was occurring, but additionally that he “recruited and used” Azotam, the Knicks’ director of video, analytics and participant growth on the time of Rajaković’s hiring with the Raptors, to assist Rajaković construct out the operations for his teaching workers.
The lawsuit alleged that Azotam stole proprietary data — together with “scouting studies, play frequency studies, a prep e book and a hyperlink to third-party licensed software program” — and used it to assist Rajaković acclimate to his first head teaching job. The swimsuit stated that in July 2023, across the time Azotam instructed the Knicks he had a job supply from Toronto, he began forwarding data from his Knicks electronic mail account to his private Gmail account.
The swimsuit alleged that the Raptors defendants directed Azotam to “misuse” his entry to the Knicks’ Synergy Sports activities account to create and switch greater than 3,000 recordsdata with movie and information, together with 3,358 video recordsdata. The Knicks found his switch on Aug. 15 and stated that these recordsdata have been accessed greater than 2,000 occasions by the defendants.
The lawsuit stated that Azotam instructed the Knicks he had a suggestion from the Raptors on or round July 25, 2023, and provides that his last day with the group was Aug. 14.
Azotam stays with the Raptors as head video coordinator/participant growth coach.
The Knicks have been suing for greater than $10 million in damages, saying that the Raptors have been utilizing the clips, partly, to assist set up their new teaching and video workers. Toronto responded by calling the lawsuit a “public relations stunt,” saying the alleged theft concerned Azotam sending publicly accessible clips to a number of members of the Raptors.
The Knicks additionally claimed NBA commissioner Adam Silver was incapable of pretty judging their dispute, saying he was too near Raptors minority proprietor Larry Tanenbaum, who additionally served as chairman of the NBA’s Board of Governors.
The 2 sides in the end ended up in arbitration hearings with the NBA this summer time after a decide’s ruling.
Of be aware, Rogers Communications closed a deal in July to acquire a majority possession stake of MLSE, lessening Tanenbaum’s energy within the group going ahead.
