The city of Cleveland filed a lawsuit against the Browns to prevent 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 alleges that a Browns move would violate the Modell Law — an Ohio law that placed conditions on how teams can leave their publicly financed 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 obtain the city’s permission or allow the city and others to purchase the team before moving away from that facility.
The suit alleges that Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam are aware of the law and highlights their acquisition of the MLS franchise the Columbus Crew as evidence. The Haslams purchased the Crew after its previous owner was sued under the law to prevent a proposed move to Austin.
The complaint also alleges that the city will lose at least $30 million in economic output yearly if the Browns leave their current stadium, as well as roughly $11 million in annual tax revenue.
The Browns declined to comment when asked about Tuesday’s lawsuit.
In August, the Browns announced their intentions to move to Brook Park, which is about 13 miles southwest of the 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, the Browns said they had determined with the city of Cleveland that an option to construct a new stadium at the Burke Lakefront Airport was not feasible, pointing to “significant design, construction, geotechnical and environmental challenges” with the site upon completing “further diligence.” The team also determined that it could not put a dome over their current stadium, Huntington Bank Field, “because of economic restraints and FAA restrictions.”
Huntington Bank Field sits adjacent to both 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. In Brook Park, the Haslams can own a lot of the parking, even as additional lanes and highway ramps will probably be needed to help traffic flow.
Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb revealed during a news conference in October that the Browns were moving forward with plans to relocate to Brook Park.
The team filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Cleveland that month, a suit that remains unresolved. According to Tuesday’s complaint, the Browns in that lawsuit “improperly asked a federal court to invalidate Ohio’s Modell Law — or at least to permit the Browns 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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