The Washington Commanders have been sued again by the District of Columbia, this time accused of scheming to cheat fans out of ticket money.
D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine on Thursday announced the filing of a lawsuit in civil court against the NFL team for its actions in taking season-ticket holder money and keeping it for its own purposes.
It’s the second civil suit by Racine’s office in eight days, after last week filing a complaint in D.C. Superior Court that the Commanders, owner Dan Snyder, Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league colluded to deceive fans about an investigation into the team’s workplace culture.
Racine in a statement said the club’s ticket policy in question “is yet another example of egregious mismanagement and illegal conduct by Commanders executives who seem determined to lie, cheat and steal from District residents in as many ways as possible.”
In the latest complaint, the District says the Commanders as of March still held nearly $200,000 in unreturned security deposits paid by season-ticket holders who qualify as D.C. consumers under the Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
The complaint alleges the team “deceptively” held onto deposits beyond the 30 days spelled out in ticket-holder contracts – sometimes for more than a decade – and said it capitalized on consumers forgetting about the money or imposed extra, burdensome conditions to get it back.
A Commanders spokesperson did not immediately have a response when reached for comment.
This lawsuit comes after the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform in April referred its investigation that centered on workplace misconduct to the Federal Trade Commission for potential financial improprieties, which the Commanders denied in a subsequent letter to the FTC.
Attorneys general for D.C. and Virginia then opened up parallel investigations, and the league retained former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White to look into Washington’s questionable business practices in withholding ticket revenue not only from fans but from other teams.
The latest lawsuit kept one of several investigations into the team on multiple fronts ongoing while another is set to wrap up early next year.
The ranking Republican on the Oversight Committee declared its investigation will end early next year when his party takes over control of the House of Representatives. “It’s over,” Rep. James Comer of Kentucky said in a brief statement, which came after The Associated Press and other outlets projected Republicans clinched a narrow majority in the House for the 118th Congress that begins meeting Jan. 3.
Democrats led by chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of New York and Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee Chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois had been presiding over the investigation since last year. Comer vowed over the summer to bring it to a halt if Republicans won House control from midterm elections, as expected.
The team in a statement through legal counsel praised the decision to drop the case.
BROWNS-BILLS: The Bills’ home game against the Cleveland Browns is being moved to Detroit on Sunday because of a lake-effect snowstorm set to hit the Buffalo region, the NFL announced.
The move to relocate the game comes before the storm even began. The forecast is for between 1 to 3 feet of snow on the region through the weekend. The switch in sites means the Bills will play back-to-back games in Detroit. They’re scheduled to play the Lions on Thanksgiving.
The league made the decision out of safety concerns, and in consultation with the Bills and local and state officials.
The National Weather Service has issued a lake-effect storm warning lasting through Saturday morning for southern Erie County, which includes the Bills’ home in Orchard Park. The storm is projected to bring wind gusts off Lake Erie as high as 35 mph, which will make travel conditions hazardous and lead to potential power outages.
Ticketing details were not immediately available for fans wanting to travel to Detroit, and for fans who were scheduled to attend the game in Orchard Park.
The Browns prepared for the possibility of a venue switch by putting together two offensive game plans: one outdoor, one indoor.
EAGLES: Three-time All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is joining the Philadelphia Eagles, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The Eagles and Suh agreed on a one-year contract, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the signing. Nuh bolsters a defensive line that also added veteran Linval Joseph this week.
Suh posted an emoji of an eagle on Twitter.
The 35-year-old Suh spent the previous three seasons with the Buccaneers and had six sacks last season. He helped Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl following the 2020 season.
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