COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three Ohioans with unclaimed funds have filed a lawsuit calling the state’s plan to use their money to pay for stadiums an “unconstitutional and unlawful misappropriation of private property.”
Ohio lawmakers finalized a deal last month to use $600 million in unclaimed funds for the Cleveland Browns’ new stadium as the Cincinnati Bengals, FC Cincinnati and other Ohio teams compete for an additional $400 million.
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signs budget giving $600M to Cleveland Browns
Hamilton County leaders spoke about how the deal could help with Paycor Stadium renovations.
“The state dollars are a little bit in flux. We knew that,” Commissioner Denise Driehaus said before a meeting on the county’s agreement with the Bengals for a new 11-year lease. “So, what we’re working on now is something that’s less than ($830 million), because the state dollars aren’t in the stack right now. But we have the ability to expand and include projects were we to get the state dollars.”
Until now, the state held missing money in perpetuity, using some money to plug holes and give short-term loans to affordable-housing developers. In their budget, lawmakers noted that people will now only have a decade to file claims. After that, it becomes the state’s property.
Ohio’s latest budget calls for the state to take ownership of $1.7 billion, specifically earmarking $600 million for the Browns and $400 million for other projects, like possible Paycor renovations.
The lawsuit, filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, alleges that taking that money after a decade and using it for a private team violates the state’s role as a custodian for Ohio residents.
“Specifically, the State of Ohio … intends to confiscate and divert Ohioans’ ‘unclaimed funds’ from their intended purpose — to be held and preserved for the benefit of the rightful owners — to finance the construction of a private sports stadium for the Cleveland Browns,” the complaint says.
The filing is not a surprise as the attorneys behind the lawsuit, former state Rep. Jeff Crossman and former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, made their plans clear during the legislative process.
