The bitter battle within the Atlanta Hawks' ownership group escalated Thursday when one of the owners took his partners to court and got a restraining order against them.

The order, sought by Steve Belkin in a Boston court, temporarily prohibits the majority of the Hawks' owners from removing him as the team's NBA governor ? a position Belkin has used this week to block a trade his partners want to make with the Phoenix Suns for guard Joe Johnson.

Thursday's legal salvo is the latest setback for a troubled franchise that has struggled for years to win games, fans and credibility.

The Boston-based Belkin filed the lawsuit against his partners after they called a meeting for Friday to vote on removing him as the Hawks' governor.

One of Belkin's partners, Atlanta businessman Michael Gearon Jr., responded to the court action: "We are aware of the lawsuit filed by Steve Belkin in Boston. We will not allow that to deter us from building a winning team in Atlanta."

In an e-mail to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Belkin wrote: "Some of my fellow co-owners took action to prevent me from doing what I believe is in the best interests of the franchise, consistent with my role as NBA governor. There was no option but to seek legal protection."