The Buss family soap opera is back, and this time it's in front of a judge. According to Ramona Shelburne, Jeanie Buss filed a petition in LA Superior Court on Wednesday challenging the legitimacy of a vote by her five siblings to sell the family trust's remaining shares in the Lakers, arguing it's in the trust's best interest to hold onto a stake "sufficient to maintain control and to benefit from the continuously skyrocketing value" of the franchise.
A petition to block the Lakers' sale has been filed by Jeanie Buss. She is also calling for Joey and Janie Buss to be removed from their roles, per @sam_amick.
This isn't just about the money, either. Per ClutchPoints, Jeanie is also pushing to have Joey and Janie Buss removed from their roles with the team — a direct shot at two of the co-trustees who are supposed to be steering this thing alongside her.
The framing of the filing says a lot about how personal this has gotten. Shelburne posted the opening line of the petition, which leans on a Yogi Berra quote to make its point: "It's like deja vu all over again," with Jeanie "once again been forced to seek relief to enforce her parents' intent" under the family trust and a 2017 Court Order and Instructions to Co-Trustees Concerning Appointment of Controlling Owner of the Lakers.
The filing begins, “In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” Jeanie comes now, unfortunately having once again been forced to seek relief to enforce her parents’ intent and the clear, unequivocal and immutable terms” of the family trust and a 2017 Court Order and Instructions to Co-Trustees Concerning Appointment of Controlling Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers.”
That 2017 order isn't some obscure footnote — it's the legal backbone of Jeanie's whole position. It came out of an earlier coup attempt by brothers Jim and Johnny Buss, and it obligates the co-trustees to vote the trust's shares to keep Jeanie as controlling owner and Board director for as long as she wants the job. She's now arguing that same order means her siblings can't just vote around her to sell what's left of the family's piece of the team — reportedly a stake that's been on the table for a sale to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner's group, the same buyers who scooped up Mark Walter's majority stake in the franchise. Jeanie also notes minority owners Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and Ed Roski have sided with her.
Shelburne also posted the actual trust language Jeanie is leaning on in court.
Here’s the relevant section of the family trust from 2006 that’s cited in Jeanie Buss’ filing today:
This isn't the first time this exact family has fought over exactly this thing. Jeanie beat back Jim and Johnny nearly a decade ago to keep her grip on the franchise, and now it's a different set of siblings pushing to cash out on a stake that's ballooned in value as the Lakers have gone from a Walter-owned team to a reported $12.5 billion sale. Whether a judge sides with Jeanie's reading of the 2017 order will determine not just who profits off this deal, but who's actually steering the Lakers when the ink finally dries.