Don Carter, the beloved, cowboy-hat-wearing founding owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is not happy with Tom Hicks. From Courthouse News, here’s the summary of the suit styled Donald Carter v. SWS Realty LLC; Thomas Hicks; Hicks Inc.; Southwest Sports Realty Partners LP:
Contract, fiduciary duty, conspiracy and appointment of receiver actions regarding the parties’ partnership that holds and develops real estate around the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, home to the Texas Rangers major league baseball club and Frisco Roughriders minor league baseball club, respectively. The plaintiff says he is the only non-Hicks controlled partner, that the partnership is dominated by Hicks who has made $35 million in insider sweetheart loans while the plaintiff has complied with millions of dollars in capital calls. Among other things, the plaintiff says that improper expenses were charged, that millions of dollars have been wrongfully transferred and that Hicks admitted to giving the Rangers an artificially low pricing for parking on partners’ controlled lots. Hicks is the former owner of the Rangers, who filed for bankruptcy under his ownership.