Jeanie Buss is taking her fight over the Lakers’ family stake to court.
According to documents obtained by The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Melody Gutierrez, Buss filed a petition with Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday asking a judge to stop her siblings from selling the family’s remaining shares in the Los Angeles Lakers. In the filing, she also says they were secretly working on a plan to push her out as the team’s governor.
The petition goes after Joey and Janie Buss directly, with Jeanie calling their conduct “devious” and asking that they be removed as co-trustees of the trust that holds the family’s remaining 17.8% stake in the team. She says they breached their fiduciary duty.
That matters because an owner must control at least 15% of a team to serve as governor. If the sale went through with new Lakers majority owners Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, Jeanie would lose the role she holds now.
“Jeanie never agreed to any sale, was never consulted, and was never even informed,” the petition states.
Jeanie also argues the move makes no financial sense, pointing to the Lakers’ “continuously skyrocketing value.” She took over as team governor after her father, Jerry Buss, died in 2013, and the filing says her aim is to keep carrying out his legacy.
“Indeed, other owners of stakes in the Lakers have expressed their support for Jeanie remaining controlling owner, and have voiced their intent to hold, not sell, their stakes in the Lakers,” according to the petition.
A court hearing is set for Nov. 5.
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