City Weighs Its Angel Claims

The city of Anaheim will seek at least $100 million in damages from the Angels when the two sides go to trial next month, city co-counsel Andy Guilford said this week.

“It’s safe to say it’s in the nine-figure range,” Guilford said.

Angel attorney George Stephan said in a court hearing Wednesday that the city has asked for $300 million. Guilford said the city has not finalized its damage claims, with analysts on both sides preparing for the Jan. 9 trial date.

The city alleges the Angels broke their stadium lease by adding Los Angeles to their name and eliminating Anaheim in marketing and promotions. The damage claims are based on the loss of what city co-counsel Mike Rubin called “hundreds of millions of impressions” of the Anaheim name in stories, scoreboards, standings and elsewhere in various media over the term of the lease, which extends through 2029.

In court papers, the Angels argue the team has caused the city no economic harm, in part because the city has received more than $5 million in revenue sharing under the ownership of Angel owner Arte Moreno, thanks to three consecutive seasons of record ticket sales. In six seasons under Disney ownership, the Angels say, the city received $400,000 in revenue sharing based on ticket sales.

The Angels also dispute that the removal of the Anaheim name has hurt business and tourism, citing sworn testimony from city officials that revenue from sales taxes and hotel occupancy taxes are up since the name change. The city attributes much of the increase to Disneyland’s 50th anniversary celebration and in any case argues the national exposure lost along with the Anaheim name should be repaid in damages.

If the jury finds the Angels have broken their lease, the city will ask Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter Polos to order the Anaheim name restored to prominence and the Los Angeles name dropped. If Polos decides financial damages are the appropriate penalty, Guilford has said the city might forfeit them if the Angels agreed to drop Los Angeles from their name.