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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

California businessman Paul Edalat has filed a lawsuit in Orlando against the National Basketball Association (NBA), alleging breach of contract related to a sponsorship deal the professional sports league secured with airline Emirates.

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According to the complaint filed March 10 in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court’s Business Court Division, Edalat claims he was instrumental in introducing the NBA to Emirates in 2014. Edalat, a U.S. businessman of Iranian descent with ties in the Middle East, was allegedly enlisted by then-NBA Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Ernest “KiKi” VanDeWeghe to help negotiate a sponsorship deal with the Dubai-based airline.

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The lawsuit alleges Edalat, through his contacts, facilitated initial discussions between the NBA and Emirates, including an in-person meeting in Dubai between Edalat and Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications - Marketing & Brand, in May 2014.

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journal’s website.

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