Miami Marlins suing season ticket holders for not renewing

The Miami Marlins are taking several season ticket holders, as well as some businesses, to court after they refused to renew deals for a variety of reasons.

In 2016, the Miami Marlins started their fifth season at Marlins Park, their newer stadium in the heart of the city on the site of the famed Orange Bowl stadium. It was pledged to be state of the art and provide fans with the perfect baseball experience.

For many fans, that has not been the case as they deal with parking issues and reduced services provided as a result of the crowd expectations the team tried to sell being lower than projected. As a result, several season ticket holders and club box owners (as well as some businesses who signed deals with the team) have decided to cut their losses and not renew their deals.

The Marlins are responding the only way they know how: by suing their fans and those businesses for breach of contract. A story by the Miami New Times breaks down how the team has filed cases against as many as nine people or businesses since 2013:

"Two stadium vendors are also locked in court battles with the team, both alleging the Marlins promised robust crowds and then didn’t deliver.Most of the lawsuits are ongoing (the Marlins won final judgments in two of them, and (another ended in a settlement))."

The lawsuits include one against a local pizza chain that went into bankruptcy after losing millions in their deal thanks to small crowds and another against a restaurant owned by former Miami Hurricanes football star Jonathan Vilma.

Marlins Park was selected as the site of the 2017 All-State Game, but has come under fire since it was announced in 2009 in part due to the public paying more than originally told for the stadium. The Miami Marlins have refused to release their financial records to show whether they have made a profit while cutting costs and promised amenities.

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