Richard Yarmuth, lawyer for Howard Schultz, has experience in sports suits

Richard Yarmuth, the attorney preparing a lawsuit against Sonics chairman Clay Bennett on behalf of former owner Howard Schultz, is no stranger to legal fights against sports teams and leagues.

His list of opponents include: the Mariners and Major League Baseball's American League.

And Yarmuth has beaten both.

Even though he blocked the Mariners' move and forced the team to honor its Kingdome lease in 1986, Yarmuth remains friends with Mariners president Chuck Armstrong.

"Those were tough times then and sure the process was acrimonious, but my recollection is even though the process was acrimonious Richard was always very professional and always kept his cool," Armstrong said. "He did not get overly emotional. He was one of the people on that team that did not do that. He always exhibited complete professionalism at all times. He was always able to maintain his perspective."

Early in his law career, Yarmuth was an attorney at Seattle-based Culp, Guterson & Grader and his firm represented the state and King County in a 1976 antitrust suit against the American League that brought the expansion Mariners to Seattle after the Pilots departed following the 1969 season.

"That case actually went to trial against Major League Baseball and during the trial it was settled with Major League Baseball agreeing that the next time it expanded, which was going to be in two years, that both the Mariners and Toronto would be created as expansion franchises," Yarmuth said.

According to his résumé, Yarmuth, a Columbia University Law School graduate, also has litigated antitrust suits, both as counsel for plaintiffs and defendants, involving the motion picture, timber and cattle industries.

He has represented Ted Turner and Turner Broadcasting as counsel for the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle and worked on a committee, along with former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, that found Nintendo and convinced the Japanese company to buy the Mariners from Jeff Smulyan when he threatened to move them to Tampa, Fla.

Lester Munson, an attorney and ESPN legal analyst, said Yarmuth is uniquely qualified to lead the case against the Sonics.

"He has the right kind of litigating experience for what Schultz wants to do," Munson said. "He's got antitrust experience. It's a subspecialty, and there are very few lawyers with that experience."

Yarmuth said the suit against the Sonics claims the owners breached the contract and did not honor a good-faith stipulation in the sale agreement. Their aim is to rescind the sale, he said.

"Richard is an outstanding attorney," Armstrong said. "Very thoughtful and extremely bright. He's able to examine things from the sides of both parties and during that time, even though he was on the other side, I developed a great personal respect and admiration for Richard."

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com