CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The stadium showdown legal battle playing out in federal court might soon be paused at the request of the city of Cleveland.
A new legal maneuver from the city asks U.S. District Judge Ruiz to suspend case deadlines until the Haslams voluntarily dismiss the case or explain how the recently amended Modell Law impacts the team’s lawsuit against the city.
The Ohio legislature passed a bill Wednesday modifying the Modell Law. The amendment redefines when and how cities can block professional sports teams from relocating, a move that ostensibly paves a clearer path for the Browns to move to Brook Park.
The rewrite narrowed the statute’s focus, now only applying to a team seeking to move out of the state of Ohio.
Given recent developments, the city is now arguing the Browns’ federal Modell Law lawsuit may be moot.
“This new development prompted by the Browns’ lobbying efforts raises questions about the viability of this action because, “\[i\]n most cases, the repeal or amendment of a law moots challenges to the original law.”
And the city is not mincing words on the overhaul of a statute that has been on the books since the late 1990s.
“This proposed amendment to the Modell Law, the “Haslam Law” – purports to rewrite the Modell Law to expressly state what the Browns have argued the statute means, contrary to its existing text.”
The amended Modell Law takes effect pending Governor DeWine’s signature on House Bill 96, delivered to his desk late Friday.
In January 2025, the Browns filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Cleveland challenging the constitutionality of the Modell Law and its application to the Haslam’s proposed move to Brook Park.
The city has maintained that the legal battle over the Modell Law belongs in state court, where the parties recently appeared before Cuyahoga County Judge Lauren Moore.
In that case, the city argues the Browns are in violation of both the Modell Law and its contract with the city.
In court last week, the Browns defended its Motion to Dismiss the city’s lawsuit, arguing the Modell Law’s constitutionality is for a federal judge to resolve.
Attorney Justin Herdman of Jones Day, on behalf of the city, argued that the crux of the suit is that of a landlord-tenant dispute, one that is most appropriately resolved in state court.
Judge Moore has yet to rule on the Browns’ request to throw out the city’s lawsuit.
The city has been vocal regarding its discontent with the last-minute changes to the Modell Law:
“We are very troubled and angered by this late-night change, added without public scrutiny, regarding the Modell Law. We strongly oppose this legislative maneuver because Clevelanders have invested hundreds of millions in the lakefront stadium and surrounding infrastructure. This proposed change fails to protect communities like us when a team decides to leave. Moving the Browns — whether 12 miles or across the country — is a betrayal of the city and residents who have stood by the franchise for generations.”
_City of Cleveland spokesperson_
Former Cleveland mayor and Ohio lawmaker Dennis Kucinich, author of the original Modell Law, has also called on the city to pursue a legal challenge to the updated language, citing constitutionality concerns.
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