ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A St. Louis Circuit Court judge has ruled against the National Football League and Los Angeles Rams in their hopes of having the St. Louis lawsuit moved out of town.
The Rams, owner Stan Kroenke and NFL were asking the court to have the trial, which is scheduled for January, moved away from St. Louis. Judge Christopher McGraugh denied the motion.
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St. Louis, St. Louis County and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority are seeking about $1 billion in damages over the relocation of the Rams franchise.
Attorney Rober Haar with the League argued jurors from the city of St. Louis won't be able to judge this trail fairly due to loss of civic pride, loss of jobs and lack of city development. When the judge asked for evidence of that, the legal team didn't have any to present.
The judge did grant the NFL's legal team a small victory before his final ruling by closing the courtroom so their arguments would be private. The judge brought media members back into the room to hear his questions and final decision.
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The Rams moved to Los Angeles in 2016, prompting a suit by the region and the operator of the downtown stadium where the Rams formerly played.
Lawyers for the League and Rams have gone all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States in attempt to have the case thrown out, but has lost at seemingly every turn. A separate suit was recently settled, giving $24 million in refunds to former St. Louis Rams personal seat license holders. St. Louis was also the winner in another lawsuit, that allows fans who bought tickets and merchandise since 2010 to be eligible for partial refunds.
However, Kroenke and the Rams did win a court decision that allowed them to purchase their former practice facility property in Earth City — last valued at $12.7 million — for just $1.
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