INGLEWOOD – A Superior Court judge has set an October 6 trial date in an ongoing digital billboard dispute between the owners of the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Rams against the city of Inglewood and WOW Media Inc.
The judge issued the ruling on Aug. 8 and advanced the trial date from November 7 to October 6 after denying a Temporary Restraining Order that was requested by companies held by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
“The ex parte application for a temporary restraining order is denied. There is an insufficient showing of interim harm or irreparable injury to Petitioner. The court shall construe the ex parte application as a motion for a preliminary injunction, which the court shall hear on shortened time. The court orders as follows:
Respondent and the Real Party in Interest may file and serve a joint supplemental opposition,
not to exceed 15 pages, on or before August 13, 2025.
Petitioner may file a reply brief, not to exceed 15 pages, on or before August 20, 2025.
The court (Leiter, J.) shall hear the motion on August 29, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
The court orders the parties to meet-and-confer concerning limited discovery relating to
Petitioner’s motion for a preliminary injunction.
The court advances the trial setting conference from November 7, 2025, to October 6, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
Petitioner’s counsel shall provide notice and file proof of service with the court.
The Ex Parte Application PETITIONERS PLAINTIFFS’ EX PARTE APPLICATION FOR (1) A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER (2) AN ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE REGARDING PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION; AND (3) AND ORDER GRANTING EXPEDITED DISCOVERY; MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT filed by MURPHY’S BOWL LLC, FORUM ENTERTAINMENT LLC on 08/07/2025 is Granted in Part. Hearing on Motion for Preliminary Injunction is scheduled for 08/29/2025 at 09:30 AM in Department 82 at Stanley Mosk Courthouse. On the Court’s own motion, the Trial Setting Conference scheduled for 11/07/2025 is advanced to this date and continued to 10/06/2025 at 09:30 AM in Department 82 at Stanley Mosk Courthouse.
Royce Jones, the lead attorney for Inglewood’s Successor Agency, appeared in court on the city’s behalf. Jones is a longtime friend of Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. who has made millions of dollars off land transfers of properties previously held by the Inglewood Redevelopment Agency.
Some of the deals negotiated under Jones have received scrutiny from Inglewood residents.
Between Steve Ballmer and Stan Kroenke, owner of the Los Angeles Rams, they collectively allege the City and its staff have violated its own city ordinances in approving billboard lease agreements with WOW Media Inc. that didn’t undergo the requisite public hearings due to them being placed on the public right of way.
They further allege that the only way around the Inglewood Municipal Code (IMC) was through a petition initiative that didn’t take place when the City Council approved the latest agreement in April.
The only petition initiative that circumvented the process established under the IMC was the City Council’s 2015 approval of the City of Champions Revitalization Initiative, which dropped a nearly 80,000-seat stadium into the middle of the City.
WOW digital billboard in the 3400 block of Century Blvd. (Photo: 2 Urban Girls)
WOW digital billboard on the sidewalk in the 3100 block of Manchester Blvd. (Photo: 2 Urban Girls)
WOW Media billboard in the median in the 3800 block of Manchester Blvd. (Photo: 2 Urban Girls)
Jones submitted a 40-page declaration in defense of the City’s action which denotes a Draft Marketing Coordination Agreement that, “grants to Developer certain rights limiting third-party marketing and advertising on City property, which the developer desires to compensate the City for such rights.”
The draft agreements defines City Property as any property owned, leased, or controlled by the City.
Third-party digital billboards operated by WOW Media, in the public right of way, would constitute an infringement of the developed rights unless the agreement was not executed.
”Given my role representing the City with respect to the Draft Marketing Coordination Agreement I would have known if it had ever been executed,” wrote Jones. “To my understanding, the Draft Marketing Coordination Agreement was never executed, nor was any payment made thereunder.”
The City wanted $1 million for these rights and Ballmer only wanted to pay $100,000.
Read Jones’ full declaration below.
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