Warriors Sue CSN Bay Area To Determine If Contract Breached

Warriors Taking Issue With MLB Giants' Stake In CSN Bay Area

The Warriors last Thursday filed suit in Alameda County (CA) Superior Court against CSN Bay Area, asking for "declaratory relief that would allow the Warriors a closer inspection of the channel's ownership to determine whether the new deal breaches their broadcast contract," according to John Ryan of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. The Warriors in the suit "take issue with the [MLB] Giants' acquisition of a reported 30[%] ownership stake" in the channel, which was rebranded from FSN Bay Area at the end of March. The suit claims before the Warriors agreed to its contract in May '02, they "requested but were denied permission to see other teams' arrangements because of confidentiality concerns." The team said that it "received a pledge of confidentiality, and the Giants' new status as station owners violates that pledge." Despite its controlling interest in the net, Comcast is not named in the suit. The Warriors, who are not currently seeking damages, asked that the court "'pierce the corporate veil' in order to see if any of the defendants' shareholders can be held liable as well." Ryan noted "signs of hostility have been evident for weeks," as Comcast on March 26 hosted a Night of Legends dinner in S.F., and the Warriors were the "only broadcast partner that wasn't represented at the head table [and] didn't have its TV voices in attendance." Additionally, recent programming decisions have "gone against the Warriors, whose ratings are, on average, nearly three times" the Sharks, who also appear on the net (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 4/15).