Astros sued on behalf of season-ticket holders for ‘deceptively overcharging’ them

The Houston Astros were fined $5 million by Major League Baseball for their technology-enhanced sign-stealing scheme. Now one fan would like the Astros to compensate all of their season-ticket holders as well.

Adam Wallach, one of those season-ticket holders, has sued the Astros for what he alleges are violations of the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act.

The lawsuit alleges the Astros cheated not only the sport but in particular their fans by “deceptively overcharging them for season tickets while ... knowingly and surreptitiously engaged in a sign stealing scheme in violation of Major League Baseball rules.” In so doing, the suit alleges, the Astros “secretly put a deficient product on the field.”

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The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Houston, asks that the team be ordered to compensate all Astros season-ticket holders for what the suit calls “inappropriate increases” in ticket prices from 2017-20. The suit also asks that the team be forbidden from raising season-ticket prices for at least two years.

The Houston Chronicle, which first reported the lawsuit, also noted that a Texas law firm — not the one representing Wallach — is recruiting potential clients for a similar suit by advertising online.

The suit is not the first filed against the Astros in connection with the sign-stealing scandal. Pitcher Mike Bolsinger has sued the team too; he was shelled in a game in Houston in 2017 and has not been able to find a job in the major or minor leagues since, although he did play in Japan the last two seasons.