L.A. County Superior Judge Michael Stern yesterday granted a motion by ISE CEO Hank Ratner and other employees of the agency to compel to arbitration former ISE Basketball President Dan Fegan's allegations that they interfered with his contracts with NBA player clients. Stern granted the motion, noting that the arbitration provisions in Fegan's employment contracts with ISE are "pretty broad." The decision moved the increasingly acrimonious legal battle between the agent and his former employer out of the public forum, for now. Fegan and ISE are currently involved in a private JAMS arbitration in which the parties are pressing their legal claims against each other. Fegan was fired from his position as ISE Basketball President on March 10. Fegan alleges that he was wrongfully terminated and that ISE orchestrated a "Machiavellian conspiracy" against him in which they tried to steal his clients, among other things. ISE claims that the agency was forced to fire him because he was running "a side business" and attempted to steal the basketball practice back after he sold to the agency for $20M. The arbitration on those claims is expected to proceed in April, and Stern set a hearing for September '18 to resolve unfinished issues after the arbitration is completed. "I am going to stay this action," Stern said. "If there is anything left after the arbitration proceedings conclude, this will be here," he said.
