Suns, Mat Ishbia Sued by Minority Owners Over Internal Records Access

The Suns are being sued by two minority owners over records access.
The Suns are being sued by two minority owners over records access. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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The Suns and majority owner Mat Ishbia are being sued by two minority owners of the franchise, ESPN reported on Wednesday night.

Per the report the lawsuit was filed on August 21 by attorneys representing Kisco WC Sports II and Kent Circle Investments; minority owner Andy Kohlberg is the founder, president, and CEO of the former firm, while minority owner Scott Seldin is the president of the latter. Kholberg and Seldin are the only two minority owners who didn't accept a buyout when former owner Robert Sarver sold the team to Ishbia.

They allege Ishbia has refused them access to internal documents. Specifically the two claim they have not been able to get information on the franchise's expenditures and that Ishbia refused give any info on funding for the new $100 million practice facility built for the Mercury.

Ishbia purchased the Suns and Mercury from Sarver in 2023.

The attorneys representing the owners gave a statement to ESPN on the matter.

"Our clients sued to obtain records to which they are entitled as minority owners of the Suns. They are concerned by the manager's approach towards minority owners, and want more information about certain spending and capital raises in which the manager has engaged. Transparency with minority owners is not optional, and our clients think it is critical to the success of the Suns."

The Suns declined to comment.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.