CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -The Cleveland Browns have asked a federal judge to force the city of Cleveland to make an argument on a case that is currently on indefinite hold, or to dismiss the case all together.
In a filing with the court, attorneys for the Browns say the burden of proof rests on the city to show that this case should move forward.
In a brief the attorneys write, “...it is the City who bears the burden of establishing mootness. And the City did not even attempt to carry that burden—for good reason."
The Browns claim now that the Modell Law has been changed by the Ohio Legislature, the city no longer has a case at the federal level, even though Cleveland continues to fight in state court.
The Modell Law now states a team can move, as long as it stays in Ohio.
Last week, a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge ruled the lawsuit at the State level can proceed, saying the Browns actions have already caused “injury” to the city.
In the federal filing, the Browns argue if the city isn’t willing to make an argument the case needs to be dropped, and dropped soon.
“The Browns do not just need relief at some point—they need it soon,“ the brief states. ”The Browns brought this suit last year, in 2024, because obtaining the financing and approvals necessary to develop a new stadium in Brook Park, let alone the construction itself, will take years."
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