Top legal story in 2008?

January 9, 10:32 AMWashington Law ExaminerMichael Reitz

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What was the top legal story in 2008? Several possibilities come to mind: the sentencing of the Seattle Spam King, Mayor Greg Nickel's proposed gun ban, the plethora of new laws the legislature adopted, or the state Supreme Court's refusal to release names of teachers accused of sexual misconduct.

But the story that takes the prize, in my mind, is the messy departure of the Seattle SuperSonics.

When millionare team owner Clay Bennett was unable to get hundreds of millions in public financing for a new stadium, he decided to break the Key Arena lease two years early. The city sued him for the breach. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and his associates sued Bennett for negotiating in "bad faith" -- they said Bennett never intended to keep the NBA team in Seattle.

When the Sonics were still pursuing money from the legislature, they cited the economic benefits of having an NBA team in the city. Yet at trial the team did a 180 when it claimed "there will be no net economic loss if the Sonics leave Seattle. Entertainment dollars not spent on the Sonics will be spent on Seattle's many other sports and entertainment options."

Just before the judge announced her ruling, Seattle and Clay Bennett decided to settle, allowing the team to leave town for a payment of $45 million (plus an additional $30 million if Key Arena renovation plans are approved and the city fails to get a new franchise within five years).

It was one of the few cases this year that attracted gavel-to-gavel coverage, and it generated passionate debate among Seattle sports fans. The Sonics trial wins my nomination as Top Legal Story of 2008.