City of Oakland files lawsuit against Raiders to keep brand

The City of Oakland is filing a lawsuit against the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. The city’s hope is to keep the team’s branding and name.

On Tuesday afternoon, the attorney’s office in Oakland filed a lawsuit against the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. The suit is being launched in hopes of keeping the team name and branding within the city of Oakland.

The purpose of the lawsuit is two-fold. With the Raiders planning on moving to Las Vegas for the 2020 season, the city of Oakland would be without an NFL team for the first time since 1994. Should the suit be won by the city, it would force the Raiders to abandon it’s lucrative brand on the way to Vegas, making them more comparable to an expansion team.

Secondly, Oakland would retain the branding. If the city wants another football team down the line, it would have a huge chip in its favor. Additionally, Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics are trying to move away from the Oakland Coliseum and to the Howard Terminal site for the start of the 2023 season.

The city has hired Jim Quinn to head up the lawsuit. Quinn is based out of New York and has been one of the most high-powered trial attorneys in the country for the better part of four decades.

As for the Raiders, they have no lease for the 2019 season. The team has previously stated that it won’t play in Oakland if the city sues them. Per NFL guidelines, the franchise is required to make every effort to play within 75 miles of its current venue, which would encompass Levi’s Stadium.

Back in 1995, a similar lawsuit was waged by the city of Cleveland to keep the Browns’ name and brand. That lawsuit was successful.

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With the coliseum site (and ORACLE Arena, also on that plot of land) abandoned by professional teams, the city would also have potential acreage to build a new development on, including a stadium to lure the NFL back.