Cleveland sues Browns over proposed move to Brook Park

Before it can be Cleveland Browns vs. the world, we'll be dealing with Cleveland vs. the Browns.

The city has sued the team over the proposed move out of Cleveland to a domed stadium in Brook Park. The lawsuit arises under the Modell Law, which was enacted after the late Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore in 1996.

“The Modell Law is clear: if you take taxpayer money to fund your stadium, you have obligations to the community that made that investment possible,” Cleveland Law Director Mark Griffin said in a statement, via Adam Ferrise of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Cleveland filed the lawsuit in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. As previously explained, that's the smart play; state court judges answer for their rulings at the ballot box.

It's also why the Browns previously filed a lawsuit seeking clarification of the Modell Law in federal court. And the first fight in the new lawsuit will be whether the first lawsuit filed by the team takes precedence over the city's civil action. The outcome of both cases could be riding on it.

The Modell Law, as written, requires the Browns to provide six months of advance notice before leaving Cleveland. The goal is to give Cleveland residents a chance to buy the team and to keep it in town. Cleveland claims that the Browns violated the Modell Law by neither providing notice nor a chance to find a new buyer.

“The Haslam Group’s circumvention of these requirements not only undermines the trust of Cleveland’s residents but also violates a law designed to protect all Ohioans,” Griffin said.

Especially Ohioans living in Cleveland.

Even if team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam can finagle a win in court, they bought the team knowing about the existence and requirements of the Modell Law. The fact that they're even accused of breaking it shows that they have poorly handled the situation, both as to P.R. and as to the inability to work with local officials (and local residents) who remain very sensitive to the events that led to the relocation, and ensuing three-year disappearance, of the local team.

Regardless of how things got to this point, the situation has now sparked two different legal proceedings. With one more, the number of lawsuits will match the number of the team's victories in 2024.