[Fisher] Exclusive: Mark Cuban Files In Court Against Mavs ‘Adversarial’ Patrick Dumont: “A “handshake deal” sours as the former owner alleges a breach of contract, accusing his successor of freezing him out of arena financing and basketball operations.”
DALLAS - Former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has filed an application in Dallas County District Court for a “pre-suit deposition” involving the franchise’s plan to finance a new arena - with specific charges being made against new Mavs governor Patrick Dumont.
Companies owned by Cuban on Tuesday filed what is known as a “Rule 202” application, which is a pre-suit request to conduct some discovery (e.g. deposition and production of documents) to investigate potential claims against “Arena Development Intermediate LLC,” an entity ostensibly created by Dumont and the Mavericks to facilitate the development of the new arena and related opportunities.
The paperwork on the filing, obtained by MavsRoundtable.com, reads, “Petitioner seeks information regarding the financing of a new Dallas Mavericks arena at Valley View and the exploration and identification of locations for the new arena, among other things.”
Suggested by the filing is the idea that Cuban is being shut out of all decisions and information related to the new arena in a way that conflicts with his “existing contracts and rights.”
Reads the filing in part: “The Petitioners’ potential claims arise from and relate to these purposeful contacts; specifically, ADI’s pursuit of business opportunities related to the Dallas Mavericks and their new arena may improperly interfere with Petitioners’ existing Texas contracts and related rights.”
Cuban specifically names Dumont in the filing, with the paperwork noting that ADI’s “non-disclosure is consistent with Dumont’s adversarial business practices and history of failing to uphold his end of the bargain.”
Part of Cuban’s “bargain,” as the filing notes: A “handshake deal” as part of his December 2023 sale worth $3.5 billion to Dumont and the Adelson family that included “the clear division of responsibilities: Cuban would retain authority over the Mavericks’ basketball operations, while Dumont would oversee the business side of the franchise, including real estate development and the pursuit of an integrated, destination resort casino in Dallas.”
Later, per Cuban’s claim in writing, “Dumont did not fulfill his end of this agreement, and I did not retain control over basketball operations. Instead, former General Manager Nico Harrison was put in charge, leading to the trade of Luka Dončić.
“When I discussed this with Dumont over the phone, he told me: “Why would I give you control of a $4 billion asset?”
The original partnership, the filing states, came in part because, as Cuban himself writes, “I supported the (Adelson family’s) Las Vegas Sands’ effort because I believed that having a Venetian-style destination resort would turn Dallas into the largest tourist destination in the United States and be worth potentially $10 billion.
“This joint effort created both an established business relationship and a trusted personal relationship …”
Those “relationships” are obviously now shattered. … and due to possibly to be revisited in a courtroom.