The “rip metropolis” signal is seen with a lacking “i” in entrance of the Moda Middle in Portland, Ore., Aug. 19, 2025.
Morgan Barnaby / OPB
Subsequent week, a Delaware choose will take into account whether or not to halt a member of the pending Portland Trailblazers’ possession group from collaborating within the sale.
It stems from a legal fight started last month when the house owners of two different skilled sports activities franchises in Portland accused the founders of Panda Express of ditching their bid for the Blazers on the final minute.
The Blazers are at present owned by a belief led by Jody Allen, the sister of the late Paul Allen, who owned the group from 1988 till his dying in 2018. The Belief lately agreed to simply accept an possession bid from a bunch led by Tom Dundon, the proprietor of the NHL Carolina Hurricanes.
Raj Sports activities, the funding agency run by siblings Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal that owns Portland’s NWSL and incoming WNBA groups, claims it was placing collectively a bid to purchase town’s most beneficial franchise. The Cherng household was set to be the biggest investor in that bid, in keeping with the criticism filed in September, earlier than as a substitute deciding to affix Dundon’s possession group.
Raj Sports activities is suing the Cherng household for breaking a contract and wrongfully interfering with a enterprise transaction. The case is filed within the Delaware Courtroom of Chancery, which frequently hears enterprise disputes due to the variety of corporations integrated within the state.
Raj Sports activities is searching for a short lived restraining order on the Cherngs’ involvement within the sale and it needs the courtroom to expedite the case. That listening to is ready for Oct. 15, in keeping with the courtroom’s docket.
In the meantime, Dundon filed an affidavit with the courtroom on Tuesday saying the sale will proceed, even when the quick meals chain’s founders are barred from becoming a member of his group.
“At current, the Dundon Group is anticipating to shut the acquisition of the Path Blazers with no need funding from the Cherngs, CFT, or Copernicus,” Dundon wrote, referring to the complete listing of defendants, which incorporates the Cherng Household Belief and restricted legal responsibility company known as Copernicus.
Dundon wrote the sale is predicted to shut subsequent March and is contingent on approval from the NBA’s Board of Governors.
An funding advisor to the Cherng Household Belief (CFT), Warren Woo, filed a declaration in opposition to the restraining order. The assertion largely backs Dundon’s assertion and his effort to purchase the Blazers.
Woo wrote that since late August he has been working with the Cherng Household Belief and the Tom Dundon possession group.
“It’s my understanding that the Dundon Group was the one viable bidder for the Path Blazers,” Woo wrote within the declaration, “and the Dundon Group has the funding it wants to shut the acquisition of the Path Blazers franchise with out the funding or involvement of the Cherngs or CFT.”
