A new class-action lawsuit filed in Franklin County Court alleges that Ohio Republican lawmakers’ plan to fund a new domed stadium for the Cleveland Browns using unclaimed property funds violates both state and federal constitutional protections.
Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and former state Rep. Jeffrey Crossman, both Democrats, filed the suit on Monday on behalf of three named plaintiffs and all Ohioans whose unclaimed funds were held by the state as of June 30, 2025. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to halt the proposed funding scheme.
At the center of the lawsuit is a provision in Ohio’s newly passed $60 billion two-year operating budget, which redirects over $1 billion from the state’s Unclaimed Funds Account to create the “Ohio Cultural and Sports Facility Performance Grant Fund.” The Browns, through Haslam Sports Group, are set to receive $600 million as the fund’s first recipient to support a proposed stadium project in Brook Park, just outside Cleveland.
The lawsuit argues that the plan violates constitutional protections against the government taking private property without just compensation, as well as due process rights. The city of Cleveland has also publicly opposed the plan.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, has voiced concerns over the proposal and urged Governor Mike DeWine to veto the measure. However, Yost has stated that he believes the funding mechanism is legally defensible.
Meanwhile, in Kansas, state lawmakers have approved a one-year extension for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to decide whether to pursue relocating to the state under a public financing deal.
On Monday, the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council unanimously voted to retroactively extend a stadium financing deadline to June 30, 2026. The plan allows the use of state-issued bonds to cover up to 70% of the cost for a new stadium project, should either team choose to move across the state line. Lawmakers have requested a decision from the franchises by December 31, 2025.
Chiefs president Mark Donovan formally requested the extension in a letter to Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, while the Royals made a verbal request around the same time.