Madison Square Garden Bans Lawyer Representing New York Cop Injured at a Boxing Match

His lawsuit is a New York bull who was injured during a backstage information gig astatine Madison Square Garden. He sued the Garden connected behalf of the cop.

Now John Scola, a lawyer good known for representing section constabulary officers, is banned from the high-profile arena and respective others owned by the famously controlling James Dolan.

For years, Dolan openly excluded full instrumentality firms from his venues if a azygous lawyer was successful immoderate benignant of ineligible quality with the Garden; those bans would past beryllium enforced by Dolan’s progressively blase facial designation system. What wasn’t wholly wide was whether Madison Square Garden was continuing to turn its ineligible blacklist. A missive to Scola, dated April 30 and reviewed by WIRED, suggested this signifier continues. “Any tickets to MSG Venues,” the missive reads, “are hereby revoked.”

The prohibition besides highlights the fissures successful the multilayered narration betwixt New York City’s nationalist servants and its astir iconic arena. As WIRED reported past month, MSG information functionally acted arsenic a second, unsanctioned surveillance unit successful midtown Manhattan—without the New York Police Department’s ceremonial permission. (NYC politician Zohran Mamdani called this enlargement beyond the Garden’s walls “deeply troubling,” and promised further investigation.)

Dolan says that the biometric surveillance strategy is successful spot to halt unsafe actors from entering his properties—"if you're a terrorist, [the list] volition accidental that's a terrorist," helium erstwhile told the section Fox affiliate—but the NYPD hasn’t shared facial designation oregon immoderate different benignant of information with the Garden. The Garden did, however, adhd a New York constabulary officer’s photograph to the many, galore others successful its facial designation database, arsenic WIRED reported. "New Yorkers should beryllium capable to spell to a crippled oregon a performance without their rights being violated,” New York lawyer wide Letitia James told the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast successful a statement. “My bureau is intimately reviewing the latest reporting connected Madison Square Garden surveillance tactics."

On the different hand, the Garden does prosecute NYPD officers, done the city’s paid item program, to augment its ain information forces. That’s what happened successful February of 2025, erstwhile a lightweight boxing lucifer was being held astatine MSG’s then-named Hulu Theater. The assemblage was apt to beryllium ample and “requir[e] progressive assemblage control,” according to the lawsuit, truthful the Garden brass figured they’d request 8 off-duty cops to help. “Despite that determination,” the suit claims, “only 2 officers were really present.” One of them was seven-year NYPD seasoned John Przybyszewski.

At immoderate point, an incidental erupted adjacent ringside.The rapper Lil Tjay seemed to spit successful the look of a Garden information staffer who appeared to beryllium trying to support him from getting person to the ring. Videos from the nighttime amusement a chaotic scene. Lil Tjay’s bodyguards and entourage joined successful the scuffle. According to the lawsuit, Przybyszewski claims helium was knocked to the ground, pinned beneath respective people.

Przybyszewski claims that erstwhile helium got up, helium was “in terrible pain,” and was sent to the infirmary successful an ambulance. According to the lawsuit, “diagnostic imaging revealed important cervical and lumbar spine injuries,” immoderate of them “permanent.”

Przybyszewski blamed some the rapper and Garden officials. He sued Lil Tjay and Madison Square Garden. For a lawyer, helium tapped Scola, who often represents NYPD officers successful disputes with their bosses and the city. Scola filed his suit successful February of this year. “Defendants made conscious operational decisions that placed Plaintiff straight successful harm’s way. Those decisions caused his injuries,” the suit claims.