ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Today's the day that a number of the NFL's most prominent owners, like Stan Kroenke and Jerry Jones face a court deadline to turn over their personal financial information – or face a fine of $1,000 a day.
It's part of the possible $1 billion lawsuit filed by St. Louis against the NFL. It claims the NFL violated its own relocation rules by allowing the LA Rams to leave St. Louis after the 2015 season.
KMOX legal analyst Brad Young says if there's no settlement, and St. Louis wins, punitive damages will be calculated based on how rich the defendants are. So the court needs to see financial documents, which will go into courts records and available for others to see.
"They do not want that information released," Young says. "The Rams have been sacked legally by every juncture, from the circuit court all the way to the Supreme Court."
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Last week the Missouri Supreme Court refused to block the order that would force Kroenke, Jones and other NFL owners to release their finances for the lawsuit. The court didn't explain its latest ruling, but simply denied the request. You can read the full ruling, here.
Forbes estimates Kroenke's net worth at $10.7 billion, while Jones is at $8.8 billion. Kroenke's financial portfolio includes other sports franchises, management groups, a winery and other businesses. And his wife Ann Walton Kroenke, is the multibillionaire heir to the Walmart fortune, which may also be included in the court filings.
Young says he expects some "lively" settlement discussions behind the scenes between now and when the trial is set to begin – which will be in January in a St. Louis courtroom.
Some reports say damages could be around the $700,000 to $800,000 mark, but representatives of St. Louis are pushing for closer to $1 billion.
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