Madison Square Garden tried to put a happy face on a Monday “formal interview” with State Liquor Authority officials over its use of facial recognition tech to keep out perceived enemies of CEO James Dolan – but the state agency says attendance was compulsory.
“As part of MSG Entertainment’s full and total cooperation with the ongoing State Liquor Authority investigation … we participated in a voluntary interview with the SLA,” an MSG spokesperson said in a statement emailed out late Monday.
“We are hopeful our participation and transparency will put an end to this investigation and ensure our fans continue to have an exceptional experience in our venues.”
But the SLA had a different take on the meeting and how Dolan was effectively volun-told to appear following the issuance of a subpoena.
“We can confirm a formal interview was held [Monday], as is standard practice. This took place only after the SLA had to issue a subpoena to compel the interview following MSGE’s failure to comply with repeated requests for a formal interview,” SLA Spokesman Joshua Hiller told The Post.
Hiller said Wednesday the “subpoena was valid” despite claims by MSG to the contrary.
“The subpoena was issued and served by the SLA, and service was accepted by [the company] without any claim of defect,” he added.
Elected officials have dumped loads of haterade on Dolan in recent weeks over his company’s use of the controversial technology to identify and remove attorneys employed by firms with litigation against MSG – whether or not the ejected lawyers were personally involved.
“We are gravely concerned that MSG Entertainment is using facial recognition technology against its perceived legal enemies, which is extremely problematic because of the potential to chill free speech and access to the courts,” reads a letter by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, state Sens. Liz Krueger, Brad Hoylman-Sigal and other electeds.
The company has also seemingly taken revenge against its political opponents.
“I was excited to drop the puck on Hockey Night,” Assemblyman Tony Simone said of being disinvited from an MSG Pride event. “Then to be excluded just because I want to speak out against the policy kind of proves our point.”
“That’s dystopian. How would you know if other corporate leaders won’t start using this? How do we know if they are already using it? Come on,” Simone added.
This includes a mother who was booted from Radio City Music Hall last November while awaiting a Rockettes performance alongside her daughter’s girl scout troop.
The SLA warned MSG later that month that way of doing business might cost them the right to sell alcohol at its venues considering existing rules that require alcohol licenses serve the general public.
“MSG instituted a straightforward policy that precludes attorneys from firms pursuing active litigation against the Company from attending events at our venues until that litigation has been resolved. While we understand this policy is disappointing to some, we cannot ignore the fact that litigation creates an inherently adversarial environment,” a spokesperson previously told The Post.
Dolan responded in a TV interview last month by threatening to stop alcohol sales at Rangers games so beer-deprived Blueshirts fans could deal the SLA a massive hit like they are Jacob Trouba himself.
“This isn’t gonna bother me because I’ve been sober 29 years. I don’t need the liquor,” Dolan told Fox 5 before holding up a photo of SLA CEO Sharif Kabir while urging sober-phobes to pester Kabir to back down.
“Tell him to stick to his knitting and to what he’s supposed to be doing and stop grandstanding and trying to get press,” Dolan, who owns the Rangers and Knicks, added.
While Dolan eventually appeared before the SLA to testify in the ongoing investigation, his company is still not playing nice with the state agency, with MSG filing a petition in state Supreme Court to block an SLA subpoena issued in February.
That order for documents related to a 2021 case in Deleware Chancery Court over the restructuring of MSG could reveal additional information on the context of Dolan’s ongoing rule banning lawyers tied to roughly 90 firms from attending MSG events.
MSG removed some firms tied to litigation involving Tao Group Hospitality after Dolan decided to explore a “potential sale of its majority interest,” according to an MSG press release.
Dolan is still feeling heat from elected officials who say his company is risking a lucrative state tax abatement in addition to an expiring city permit that allows the famed Garden to have more than 2,500 people in arena crowds.
State Attorney General Letitia James has raised questions about whether MSG is also violating anti-discrimination and civil rights laws.
But the NHL and NBA have effectively declined to take any action against Dolan despite pleas from Hoylman-Sigal.
“I’ll continue to advocate for our legislation in Albany to stop James Dolan from banning fans from the Garden on his enemies list and as we enter the budget season, raise the alarm on the taxpayer-funded giveaway to Madison Square Garden that amounts to over $40 million a year,” Hoylman-Sigal told The Post last week.
