St. Louis sues NFL and all of its teams over Rams’ relocation to Los Angeles
The Rams are preparing for their second season in Los Angeles, but the aftermath of their exit from St. Louis continues to be marked by bitterness.
On Wednesday, the city of St. Louis sued the NFL and all of its teams and owners, alleging the league violated its relocation guidelines.
The city, St. Louis County and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority filed the lawsuit in St. Louis Circuit Court. It seeks unspecified damages for breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraudulent misrepresentation.
“There is no legitimate basis for this litigation,” the NFL said in a statement. “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.”
A Rams spokesman said the team does not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit alleges that in the years leading up to the Rams’ relocation request, “Rams officials decided to move the team and confidentially determined that they would be interested in exploiting any opportunity to do so.”
It also said that “Rams representatives acknowledged the strong fan support in St. Louis and knowingly made the following false statements regarding the team’s intent to engage in good faith negotiations and to stay in St. Louis.”
The lawsuit cites public or published statements made by Rams owner Stan Kroenke, vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Here is a link to the lawsuit, posted by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Follow Gary Klein on Twitter @latimesklein
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