Decision to Leave Forum Doesn’t Appear to Be Mutual

Washington Mutual Inc., which bought Great Western Financial Corp. in 1997, wants the Kings and Lakers to stay at the Forum through 2003 or pay $28.4 million, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.

Both teams plan to move to the Staples Center, which is under construction downtown and is expected to be completed this fall.

William Campbell is a lawyer for California Forum, the limited partnership that controls the arena and is run by Laker owner Jerry Buss.

“I think they are just looking for money,” Campbell said. “There was never any suggestion before that they wanted the Kings and Lakers to remain there” at the arena in Inglewood.

On Dec. 5, 1988, Great Western signed a 15-year, $17.8-million naming rights and advertising deal that would be up in the year 2003.

After that deal was signed, the arena became the Great Western Forum.