Walton Is Winner in Arbitration : A Final Resolution May Take Years--If Clippers Go to Court

Bill Walton officially won his arbitration hearing against the Clippers Tuesday for $1.6 million in deferred payments, although it could take years before the case is finally resolved if the National Basketball Assn. team pursues the matter in court.

Dan Collins, a professor at New York University Law School, ruled in favor of Walton last Friday. The decision, however, was not made public until this week.

Walton was not immediately available for comment, but Gary Vandeweghe, his lawyer, said:

“Bill is realistic about litigation. He’s had prior dealings with contracts going to court and he also spent one year in law school. . . . He understands, and even anticipates, some of these problems. On the other hand, I don’t want to under-emphasize how strongly he feels about this and how strongly he believed this matter belonged in arbitration.”

The Clippers, who expected to lose the ruling, disagreed. Team President Alan Rothenberg, who did not return phone calls Tuesday, had said previously that the issue was outside an arbitrator’s jurisdiction and belonged in the courts.

The National Basketball Players Assn. regards the matter a possible test case on the strength of its collective bargaining agreement, in which arbitration is the agreed-upon method of settling disputes.

The Clippers challenged Walton’s 1979 contract, saying he concealed activities that were detrimental to his health. In a suit filed last December in Superior Court in Los Angeles, they contend that “certain activities” by Walton during the five-year contract impaired his ability to play. Vandeweghe has said that the team was implying drug abuse by Walton.

Vandeweghe said that the Clippers have already missed two payments to Walton worth about $30,000 each, based on attendance clauses and the number of games he played. Another $1.6 million is also due as part of 12 1/2 years of deferred payments through 1996.