The National Football League (NFL) has been sued again for allegedly violating its relocation policy by transferring the San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles.
The NFL narrowly evaded a jury trial last year after settling a similar case in St. Louis for $790 million following Rams owner Stan Kroenke's decision to move the Rams to Los Angeles. St. Louis attorneys received $276.5 million.
“Once they saw the settlement that St. Louis got, I find it interesting that they decided after that to file their lawsuit,” said Randy Karraker, 101 ESPN Radio morning host. “There is definitely some copy cat activity on the part of San Diego.”
The lawsuit, lodged against the league, all NFL team owners, and the city of San Diego, alleges the NFL and the Chargers failed to negotiate in good faith and had kept secret their intention to move for 16 years, according to media reports.
“The biggest difference is that San Diego was actually provided an extra year to keep the Chargers after the Rams had left St. Louis and they never did come up with a viable, actionable stadium plan so I think that's one thing that will hurt them,” Karraker told the Southern California Record
The plaintiff is San Diego resident Ruth Henricks who is represented by former San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre and former San Diego chief deputy city attorney Maria Severson.
“San Diego attorneys did make some phone calls to St. Louis attorneys just to find out what the approach was,” Karraker said. “One of the reasons that they called St. Louis lawyers was to find out how they went about the process of filing this lawsuit. But I think once they get into a courtroom, we'll have two distinctly different lawsuits.”
The newer complaint accuses Chargers football owner Dean Spanos of having already made up his mind to relocate the team.
Spanos announced his decision in a post on Twitter in 2017.
"I wonder how difficult it will be for them to actually come up with the discovery and come up with the depositions that St. Louis was able to get," Karraker added. “St. Louis simply had so much more on the ball in regards to trying to keep the franchise. It’s a pretty tough spot to get to and keep a suit alive and strong. I don’t know if San Diego has that ability to keep it going that long.”
In the Rams relocation litigation, it was the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority, the City of St. Louis, and the County of St. Louis who sued the NFL and Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke in 2017.