The group, which critics have taken to calling a "cabal" in what has apparently become known locally as "tennisgate," denied any wrongdoing in response to the accusations. The specifics of the alleged court-hogging — which courts, which hours, and under what arrangement with the Recreation and Park Department — have not been fully detailed in public.

What is clear is that access to public tennis courts is a recurring flash point in San Francisco, where rec space is scarce and informal arrangements between organized clubs and city agencies are common. Whether Rec and Park has a formal permit structure governing this particular club's use of Rossi's courts, and whether that structure was followed, is the operative question the department has not yet answered on the record.