MIAMI, Jan. 28 -- A long legal battle to gain control of the Miami Heat ended Friday when Micky Arison announced that his family will buy out the interest of Billy Cunnigham and Lewis Schaffel. Arison, son of Carnival Cruise Lines founder Ted Arison, will own 88 percent of the team and will be the managing general partner.
Arison will be the acting general manager until he can begin the search for a permanent one. Cunnigham and Schaffel currently shares the duties. As part of the deal, Whit Hudson, executive director of Waste Management Corporation, will drop his lawsuit against the Arison family. Hudson is the brother-in-law of Wayne Huizenga, who owns baseball's Florida Marlins, hockey's Florida Panthers and football's Miami Dolphins. Hudson had accused the Arison family of sabatoging his attempt to buy the team.
