NFL sued by St Louis over Rams
By Scott Winter
The National Football League is being sued by the city of St. Louis after watching the Rams leave for Los Angeles last year.
On Wednesday, the city of St Louis and their Regional Sports Authority (RCA) filed a lawsuit today (PDF courtesy of STLToday.com) against the NFL and all 32 owners. The lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court of St. Louis, Missouri, citing a violation by the Rams and the NFL of the NFL’s constitution and bylaws covering relocation.
Also, the St Louis lawsuit further went on to list allegations of negotiations in bad faith, breach of contract, plus more, and is asking for monetary damages and financial restitution.
As reported by Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
"The suit claims St. Louis has lost an estimated $1.85 million to $3.5 million a year in amusement and ticket tax revenue with the departure of the Rams. It says the city also has lost about $7.5 million in property tax and $1.4 million in sales tax revenue, plus “millions” in earning taxes."
The amount money being sought by the plaintiffs is unknown this time. And in that same report above was a response by the NFL.
"“There is no legitimate basis for this litigation,” Brian McCarthy, NFL vice president of communications, said via email. “While we understand the disappointment of the St. Louis fans and the community, we worked diligently with local and state officials in a process that was honest and fair at all times.”"
What started the Rams relocation process was an arbitration ruling won by the Rams. And that the Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC) rejected. This action legally shorted the contract between the CVC and the Rams. And it set a year-to-year lease beginning in 2015.
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Political leaders in California are expected to monitor this case closely. We could very well see two more such lawsuits out of Oakland and San Diego, following the relocations of the Raiders and Chargers, respectively. It certainly will be something to pay attention to if this lawsuit gains traction.