Orient chairman Hearn vows to fight to the end
“If that means standing alone as the little guy against the powers that be in authority then so be it,” - Barry Hearn
Orient chairman Barry Hearn was delighted when the club’s application for a judicial review into the decision to award the Olympic Stadium to West Ham United was granted in a High Court hearing on Wednesday.
At the oral hearing Mr Justice Collins reversed an earlier decision which was based on written submissions.
Mr Justice Collins found in favour of both Orient and Tottenham Hotspur in respect of their claims against the London Borough of Newham council, the Olympic Park Legacy Company, the Mayor of London and the Department of Culture media and Sport.
In a statement Hearn said: “The decision is a clear vindication to take legal action to right the injustice.
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“It is clear that the judges saw that there was a real case that the Newham loan to enable West Ham to win the bid was illegal.
“The judge was also troubled by the fees paid by West Ham to an OPLC employee saying that this matter deserved further examination.”
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Hearn fears that the impact of West Ham moving so close to Brisbane Road, will signal the death knell of the League One side.
“We will continue to fight to the end to safeguard the future of our club and if that means standing alone as the little guy against the powers that be in authority then so be it,” he said.
“No-one has considered the impact on Leyton Orient of this move and it is not right that the legacy of what will be an amazing Olympic Games could be to put a family Football Club with 130 years of history in its local community out of business.”
There will now be a full judicial review into the decision beginning on October 18.
