CLEVELAND — Cleveland city officials filed a lawsuit against the Cleveland Browns as they continue to try to keep the NFL team playing in downtown Cleveland.
The lawsuit alleges that the team is violating state law and contract agreements with the city after accepting more than $350 million in taxpayer money. The law being violated is the Modell Law, enacted when the Browns' attempted to relocate to Baltimore in 1995, keeps team owners from exploiting public investment. The law also works to protect taxpayers from losing professional sports teams playing in publicly funded facilities.
The law requires teams playing in these facilities to secure city approval for relocation or provide a fair opportunity for others to purchase the team.
According to a news release from the city, The Haslam Sports Group, current owners of the Browns, "are attempting to circumvent the law through a hastily filed federal lawsuit aimed at evading compliance with the Modell Law, arguing it does not apply to their potential relocation plans."
The city said in its release that at the request of the Browns and the NFL taxpayers have spent hundreds of millions to support the team and build up the city's lakefront.
“The Modell Law is clear: if you take taxpayer money to fund your stadium, you have obligations to the community that made that investment possible,” said Mark Griffin, law director and chief legal counsel for the City of Cleveland in a news release. “The Haslam Group’s circumvention of these requirements not only undermines the trust of Cleveland’s residents but also violates a law designed to protect all Ohioans.”
Griffin pointed out that the Haslams previously relied on the Modell Law to acquire the Columbus Crew soccer team.
"Their use of the law to secure the Crew underscores the importance of these protections for communities and taxpayers, making their current sidestepping of the Modell Law even more glaring," Griffin said.
The lawsuit was filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to enforce Modell Law, alleging the Haslam Sports Group violated legal obligations by failing to notify or offer the city a chance to buy the team. The lawsuit said despite taxpayer investment in Huntington Bank Field a new stadium in Brook Park is still being pursued.
“The future of our lakefront and our city is brighter with the Cleveland Browns continuing to play football on the shores of Lake Erie, just as they have for generations,” Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said in the news release.