Suit Against Clippers Revived

The National Basketball Assn. may be able to restrict the movement of its teams, a federal appeals court ruled today in a decision that revived the league’s suit against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Despite its rulings in the Los Angeles Raiders antitrust case, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the NBA could go to trial on its claim that its restrictions on team moves were valid under antitrust laws and were violated by the Clippers’ 1984 move from San Diego to Los Angeles. The same court had previously upheld a jury verdict that said the National Football League had violated antitrust laws by using team owners’ veto power to block the Raiders’ shift from Oakland to Los Angeles.