OldSchoolWrestling 0 Report post Posted August 26, 2003 Raiders awarded $34.2M for Oakland stadium officials' negligence Aug. 26, 2003 SportsLine.com wire reports SACRAMENTO -- The Oakland Raiders were awarded $34.2 million by a jury that found Oakland coliseum officials acted negligently when negotiating to bring the team back from Los Angeles. The team's lawsuit had sought $570 million to $833 million to compensate for low ticket sales and the declining value of the franchise by 2010 when the contract expires. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, its chief negotiator Ed DeSilva and the now-defunct Arthur Andersen accounting firm were accused of intentionally misleading the team. The jury ruled the coliseum acted negligently, but said none of the defendants intentionally misrepresented ticket sales. Both sides promised to appeal the verdict. "Do we think that there's adequate compensation for damages? No," said the Raiders' attorney, Roger Dreyer. "We're disappointed with the verdict. We're disappointed with numbers." The case dates to 1995, when Raiders owner Al Davis maneuvered to get his team out of Southern California after revenues waned, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum's foundation was shaken by an earthquake and a deal collapsed to build a new stadium at a horse track. Davis, 74, said coliseum officials promised a sold-out stadium. He said he had a verbal agreement and that he couldn't get promises in writing after a citizen revolt jettisoned a deal to return in 1990 because it promised $38 million a year in revenue for the team. "From that day on, the word guarantee was not allowed in our vocabulary or their vocabulary," Davis testified. The deal gave the Raiders a $53 million loan, $10 million for a training complex and $100 million to renovate the coliseum, which is shared with the Oakland Athletics. The defense, which said team owners got richer by moving to Oakland, said Davis was told by a number of officials that the stadium was not sold out when he signed the pact in 1995. In order to buy season tickets, fans had to pay between $250 and $4,000 for the 10-year license to those seats. Sales were not as brisk as expected. The coliseum's lawyer said any box office flop should be partly blamed on high ticket prices and some poor performances on the field, including the team's abysmal 4-12 season in its third season after returning, the worst since Davis took over 40 years ago. The coliseum lawsuit was similar to one the Raiders lost two years ago in Los Angeles. Davis claimed the NFL owed him $1.2 billion for spiking a deal to build a new stadium at the Hollywood Park race track. A judge ordered a new trial because of juror misconduct, but the NFL has appealed. Davis said he never would have ended up in Oakland if the NFL hadn't blocked that deal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tom 0 Report post Posted August 26, 2003 New Raiders motto: Just sue, baby! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OldSchoolWrestling 0 Report post Posted August 26, 2003 New Raiders motto: Just sue, baby! Nothing new about that. Alice has been doing that since the late 70's. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted August 26, 2003 It amazes me that people still go to support the Raiders given their fine, upstanding ownership, who would never, EVER switch cities at the drop of a hat, or sue the current city that the teams play in... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted August 27, 2003 Only $34 million? Poor Al Davis... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OldSchoolWrestling 0 Report post Posted August 27, 2003 It amazes me that people still go to support the Raiders given their fine, upstanding ownership, who would never, EVER switch cities at the drop of a hat, or sue the current city that the teams play in... The city is jinxed. The Warriors owner is an idiot, the A's owners are idiots..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
