CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Another lawsuit was filed Monday about the plans for a Browns stadium in Brook Park.
DannLaw, the firm of former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, filed a class action lawsuit, claiming the use of unclaimed funds to pay for a privately-owned stadium is unconstitutional.
The lawsuit comes a week after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed this year’s budget, which included language for $600 million to go from the Department of Unclaimed Funds to the Cleveland Browns for the domed stadium.
That fund is now officially called the “Ohio Cultural and Sports Facility Performance Grant Fund and Unclaimed Funds.”
It can be used for all stadiums, fields, museums and performance venues across the state.
The attorneys are asking the court for an injunction to stop the state from using the unclaimed funds.
The Browns and Brook Park plan to break ground by Q1 of 2026, with an opening by the 2029 season.
“The State of Ohio intends to steal over a billion dollars in private property from its citizens and pour it into the pockets of Jimmy Haslam, one of America’s richest men… Everyday Ohioans are rightfully outraged by this blatant abuse of power. The government can’t just take someone’s property and give it to someone else. This type of outrageous behavior ignited the American revolution 250 years ago. Unfortunately, the majority in the General Assembly and the governor are ignoring the lesson King George learned at Bunker Hill.”
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