The legal dispute over the right to sell the Buss family's remaining stake in the Los Angeles Lakers continued Wednesday with five of the Buss siblings filing their case against their sister, Lakers acting governor Jeanie Buss.
"Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss, the five of six siblings who voted to sell the Trust's shares in the Lakers, today filed their formal opposition, demonstrating that Jeanie Buss's petition is legally and factually baseless," the siblings said in a statement issued to ESPN. "While discussions among the siblings continue, their focus remains on facilitating the proposed transaction and the [Buss family] trust's participation in it, while ensuring that all beneficiaries, including Jeanie, are treated equally.
"Today's filing is a necessary step to protect those interests and ensure the transaction proceeds on schedule."
In August, Jeanie, through her lawyer Adam Streisand, challenged the legality of her sibling's vote to sell the family's remaining shares of the franchise to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger's ownership group after the pair agreed to purchase the Lakers from Mark Walter at a $12.5 billion valuation. Streisand submitted a 97-page petition to block the sale of the family's remaining 17.82% ownership stake to the new group, which, sources told ESPN, is expected to take control of the franchise following an NBA board of governors vote in November.