Mike Ashley is trying to claim £10million from Newcastle United's new owners after claiming clauses were broken in the aftermath of his sale to the Middle East consortium.
The former Toon owner is suggesting that Amanda Staveley violated an agreement not to criticise his running of the club after the sale went through.
The Daily Mail's Vivek Chaudhury is reporting that Ashley has submitted documents to the High Court.
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The document reads: "Mr. Ashley wanted protection against public criticisms of his tenure as ultimate beneficial owner of NUFCL (Newcastle United Football Club Limited) by new owners and / or managers of NUFCL because such criticisms carry particular weight."
Ashley has listed a series of media interviews in which he felt he was criticised.
He also says that he suffered financial loss when his Sports Direct signs were removed.
But Newcastle's new co-owners are confident of winning the legal battle ahead.
A spokesman for Ms Staveley and Mr Ghodoussi said: "A company owned by Mike Ashley has issued proceedings against Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi.
"The claim is connected to the acquisition of NUFC.
"Ms Staveley and Mr Ghodoussi do not intend to comment on the details of the litigation, however, they are very confident of successfully defending the claim in full.
"The litigation will not distract Ms Staveley or Mr Ghodoussi from their hard work at Newcastle United, particularly as they focus on the opportunities and deadlines presented by the January transfer window."
Ashley's exit from Newcastle sparked wild scenes in the streets around St James' Park when news broke he'd sold the club for £305million.
