Stock trader ejected from courtside seat in final seconds of Knicks game sues arena
The New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony. Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com
A stock trader who says he was ejected from his courtside seat for shouting “Carmelo, you stink!” at the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony during the final seconds of a January 2014 game against the Detroit Pistons has sued the arena over the incident.
Plaintiff Anthony Rotondi, 43, says he was attending the basketball game at Madison Square Garden with his work supervisor and two ING Bank clients. He was not only ejected from his seat by MSG security personnel but criminally charged over the incident, based on false claims that he interfered with the game, his New York Supreme Court civil complaint says. It alleges that he lost his job with the bank after the arena notified his employer, ING Financial Services, of his arrest, according to Bloomberg and the New York Daily News.
NJ.com provides a copy of the complaint, which was originally obtained by NJ Advance Media.
It asserts claims against the Madison Square Garden Company for defamation, false imprisonment and intentional interference with business relations, among other alleged torts.
A representative of MSG provided a written statement to the New York Daily News in October, when Rotondi was seeking the names of the security guards who he says had him arrested. It says: “We do not welcome anyone into the building who behaves in an inappropriate and hostile manner, and those who behave that way are subject to ejection. This is a frivolous lawsuit and we are considering countersuing this individual.”
Rotondi’s suit says he was charged by New York authorities with criminal trespass and interfering with a sports contest based on false statements by arena security personnel to city police. The criminal case was adjourned in contemplation of dismissal when he appeared in court before a judge, and it expired in July, according to Rotondi’s suit.
Updated Jan. 7 to clarify that the criminal case against Rotondi expired in July.
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