Steve Donner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Steve Donner is an American sports organiser in the field of professional sports. He is part of the ownership group of Carolina RailHawks F.C.

Donner is a minority owner of the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.

The Rochester, New York native is also a minority owner of the National Lacrosse League’s Rochester Knighthawks.

Donner’s Rochester Sports Group has been mired in debt and legal troubles. He and his partners were forced to sell the Rhinos soccer team. The city of Rochester fears his creditors will go after his stake in the Amerks and Knighthawks.

Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy and city Corporation Counsel Tom Richards are taking aggressive steps to remove Donner from a position of power with the Amerks and Knighthawks.

They say neither team will get an arena lease until Donner is nothing more than a minority owner.

The basis for the city's stance is lawsuits by creditors, a history of late payments and, perhaps most importantly, Donner's personal liability with his former partners (Frank DuRoss and Chris Economides). Donner, Frank DuRoss and Chris Economides were sued in January for defaulting on $10.6 million in loans to NBT Bank. LeChase Construction of Gates also sued in February for $580,000 in owed money and a few other smaller lawsuits also have been filed.

A ruling could be made on NBT Bank's lawsuit against three former principal owners of the Rochester Rhinos soccer team at a May 2 hearing in Chenango County Supreme Court.

Justice Elizabeth Garry will hear arguments on NBT's motion for summary judgment.