The city of Cleveland sued the Browns to block the team’s planned move to a new domed stadium in Brook Park, Ohio.
In the complaint, filed Tuesday in Cuyahoga County (Ohio), the city claims Brown’s move would violate the Modell Act — an Ohio law that placed conditions on how teams could leave its publicly funded facilities.
The law was passed after former Browns owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore in 1996. It requires a team that takes taxpayer money and plays in a tax-supported facility to either get city permission or allow the city and others to buy the team. Before moving away from that facility.
The lawsuit alleges that Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam were aware of the law and highlights their acquisition of Major League Soccer franchise Columbus Crew as evidence. The Haslams bought the crew after its previous owner was sued under the law to block a proposed move to Austin.
The complaint also alleges that the city would lose at least $30 million in economic output annually if the Browns left their current stadium, in addition to approximately $11 million in annual tax revenue.
Brown declined to comment when asked about the lawsuit Tuesday.
In August, the Browns announced their intention to move to Brook Park, located about 13 miles southwest of their current stadium, because it was their “most compelling option”. The team described it as a $2.4 billion project, which was later revealed to include a domed stadium.
At the time, Brown said they had concluded with the city of Cleveland that the option of building a new stadium at Burke Lakefront Airport was not feasible, citing “significant design, construction, geotechnical and environmental challenges” at the site when it was completed. “More diligence.” The team also decided that it could not put a dome over their current stadium, Huntington Bank Field, “due to economic and FAA restrictions.”
Huntington Bank Field is located adjacent to Lake Erie and Ohio Route 2, which separates it from downtown Cleveland. Getting traffic in and out of the stadium can be a nightmare and parking can be difficult. At Brook Park, the Haslams can have plenty of parking, even if additional lanes and freeway ramps are needed to help traffic flow.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb revealed during a press conference in October that the Brown family is moving forward with plans to move to Brook Park.
The team filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Cleveland that month, a lawsuit that has not yet been resolved. According to Tuesday’s complaint, the Brown family in that lawsuit “improperly asked the federal court to invalidate Ohio’s model law — or at least allow the Brown family to ignore it.”
The Browns’ lease with the city of Cleveland is set to expire at the end of the 2028 season. They have played at Huntington Bank Field since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999.
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