DALLAS – Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban filed what can perhaps best be described as a "told-you-so" document in court Wednesday against Ross Perot Jr.
In a four-page court document, Cuban attorney Thomas Melsheimer of Dallas rebutted allegations by Perot and his Hillwood Investment Properties III Ltd. that Cuban was mismanaging the Mavericks to the brink of insolvency and, perhaps, beyond.
Exhibit A: A color photograph of Dirk Nowitzki hoisting the NBA championship trophy while surrounded by Cuban and his teammates.
Perot, who holds a 5 percent stake in the team, sued Cuban a year ago to obtain a court order placing the franchise in receivership. Perot had accused Cuban of making a "litany of questionable business, financial and personnel decision" and of being "careless and reckless" in his decision-making.
Previously, Cuban had called Perot's lawsuit "trying to find nickels in the sofa cushion" in an attempt to recapture losses stemming from the Victory project, a retail and office development surrounding the American Airlines Center.
On Wednesday, in a court filing that refers to the team throughout as the "World Champion Dallas Mavericks," Cuban's attorneys told a judge that the Mavericks' first NBA title proves that Perot's arguments should be tossed out.
It also says the Mavericks should be awarded any relief they are due "although they are quite content at the moment."
Perot was unmoved.
"Ross Perot Jr. remains an owner of this team ... and no one is more delighted in the team's successes on the court," Perot spokesman Eddie Reeves said Wednesday. "That's a different issue than the business matters that remain between Mr. Perot and Mr. Cuban."
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