What did St. Louis gain with Rams lawsuit?
Irwin Kishner, co-chair of Herrick's Sports Law Group, was quoted in the Los Angeles Daily News about the reported $790 million settlement in the lawsuit between the city of St. Louis and the NFL's Rams over the latter's move to Los Angeles. The article stated, "St. Louis’ suit, filed in 2017, alleged that (a) the league did not follow its own relocation procedures and (b) those procedures amounted to a contract between the league and its cities, rather than just guidelines." The article reports that when the judge "felt compelled to order financial information from several NFL owners in advance of the trial – in anticipation, some believed, of a potential damage award – that struck some as overly partisan."
Kishner explained that it was a "very one-sided judiciary, the way that they’re coming down on the rulings. That said, when you’re dealing with local court systems, and you have a favorite child’s or favorite son-type bent – that’s what’s happening here, in my opinion – this (settlement) might make sense for that reason."
The NFL, the Rams and Rams owner Stan Kroenke were scheduled to go to trial before a St. Louis jury until the recently announced settlement was reached between the team, league and municipality.