The first court hearing in the case between the city of Seattle and the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics has been set.

The team and the city will appear Thursday before U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez. The case's initial hearing had been set for last Wednesday, but the city's suit against the team was moved from state court to federal court at the Sonics' request.

Martinez scheduled the hearing to begin determining if the case should remain in federal court or be settled by a panel of arbitrators, as the team has suggested. The city has asked for a jury trial in the case.