Judge Won’t Stop Auction of Sullivan Stadium

A U.S. district judge in Boston Monday refused to block the planned foreclosure auction of Sullivan Stadium, the Foxboro, Mass., home of the financially troubled New England Patriots.

The decision by Judge Joseph Tauro on the auction scheduled for today removed another hurdle in the legal effort launched by Connecticut Bank and Trust Co., which holds a $9 million second mortgage on the 61,000-seat stadium.

The Patriots reportedly are $82 million in debt.

“I don’t know exactly what we’re going to do,” club vice president Chuck Sullivan said after the hearing, during which he testified for nearly 1 1/2 hours on the complex financial situation of an attempted takeover of the Patriots.

The Sullivan family is in a battle with Philadelphia businessman Fran Murray’s group, which owns the option to buy the club and is suing to obtain controlling stock. The Sullivans owe Murray’s group $21 million.