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The city of St. Louis has filed a lawsuit against the National Football League, alleging that the Rams' move to Los Angeles violated league relocation guidelines. The 52-page lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday by the city of St. Louis, St. Louis County and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority, seeks more than $1 billion in damages, according to Reuters.
The Rams left California for St. Louis after the 1994 NFL season and returned to Los Angeles in 2016. They finished 4-12 in their first season back in the Golden State.
The NFL, along with all 32 of its teams and their respective owners, are listed as defendants in the lawsuit. St. Louis and co. allege that the league "violated the obligations and standards governing team relocations" when they approved the move, and that the Rams "failed to satisfy the obligations imposed by the League’s relocation rules" and failed to meet previously adopted relocation standards. The NFL has said that there is "no legitimate basis" for the lawsuit, according to ESPN.
The plaintiffs also allege that Rams representatives knowingly made "false statements regarding the team's intent to engage in good faith negotiations and to stay in St. Louis." Some of the cited statements include Rams owner Stan Kroenke's April 2010 declaration that he was "going to attempt to do everything that I can to keep the Rams in St. Louis," and Rams CEO Kevin Demoff's 2014 assertion that there was a “one-in-a-million chance” that the Rams would move.
“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," Brian McCarthy, NFL vice president of communications, told St. Louis Today in an email.
