Cleveland’s fight to prevent the Browns from moving from downtown to a proposed dome in the suburbs has taken another legal turn.
Last year, the Cleveland Browns announced plans to build a new domed stadium in suburban Cleveland. But the city is trying to find ways to keep the team within its borders — and plans to use the law to keep them there.
The city of Cleveland has filed a lawsuit to prevent the NFL team from leaving Cleveland’s waterfront when the stadium’s lease expires after the 2028 season.
Team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam plan to build a $2.4 billion stadium and adjacent entertainment complex in Brook Park, Ohio, 15 miles south of the city.
Cleveland filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
It’s the latest twist in a battle that has history and notoriety among Browns fans, who felt betrayed in 1995 when late owner Art Modell, who failed to reach a deal with the city to build a new stadium got the franchise moved to Baltimore.
The city of Cleveland (Mayor Justin Bibb pictured left) has sued the Cleveland Browns (owner Jimmy Haslam pictured right) over the team’s plans to relocate stadiums
The Browns plan to build a $2.4 billion domed stadium in the Cleveland suburb of Book Park
The Browns will continue to play at Huntington Bank Stadium until their lease expires in 2028
That messy situation led to the creation of the “Modell Law,” which says in part that any professional sports team that uses state funding for its home game facilities cannot leave without permission or notice.
The law, passed in 1996, also gives residents the chance to buy the team or find a new buyer. In the lawsuit, the city claims the Browns broke the law by doing neither.
The Browns have not commented on the city’s lawsuit.
In October, the team notified Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb of its intention to build the state-of-the-art stadium, which the Browns had proposed would be partially financed with public money. Cleveland has been at its current home base, Huntington Bank Field, since 1999, when the city was assigned an expansion team after Modell’s departure.
The team has filed its own lawsuit to clarify the ‘Modell Law’. That federal case is pending.
The Haslams previously benefited from the Modellwet. When it was enacted to prevent Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew from leaving the Ohio capital in 2019, the Haslams bought the franchise. Haslam Sports Group also has a minority stake in the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
The city had previously offered the Browns $461 million to help renovate their current 65,000-seat stadium.
This season, the Browns fell to a 3-14 record as injuries exacerbated already low expectations. Their season-ending loss to the Baltimore Ravens secured the No. 2 pick in April’s Draft.