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St. Louis sues NFL, owners over Rams departure

new stadium, St. Louis Rams
Courtesy HOK | 360 Architecture
St. Louis officials attempted to keep the Rams from leaving for Los Angeles by coming up with plans for a new stadium downtown.

The saga of the Rams' decision to leave St. Louis is not over. The city, St. Louis County and the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority are suing the National Football League and all of its member teams over the Rams' move to Los Angeles.

The suit was filed Wednesday in St. Louis Circuit Court. It accuses the NFL and Rams' officials of violating the league's relocation guidelines. The relocation guidelines, according to the lawsuit, "bind the NFL, NFL team owners, and NFL teams to follow certain procedures before allowing them to relocate."

The legal action  also alleges the Rams allowed St. Louis officials to spend millions of dollars on a stadium proposal, even though the team’s owners always intended to relocate to California.

The suit includes five counts:

  • Breach of contract
  • Unjust enrichment
  • Fraudulent misrepresentation (against the Rams and Stan Kroenke)
  • Fraudulent misrepresentation (against all defendants)
  • Tortious interference with business expectancy

NFL owners approved the Rams' move to Los Angeles on Jan. 16, 2016. They began playing at Memorial Colosseum last fall.

The suit seeks payment of money spent by St. Louis officials and the recovery of potential revenue lost when the Rams moved last year.

Rams officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.  The NFL did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Follow Wayne on Twitter: @wayneradio

Wayne Pratt is the Broadcast Operations Manager and former morning newscaster at St. Louis Public Radio.