Four St. Louis Rams fans are suing the team over its move to Los Angeles, with a suit centering around the purchase of game tickets and team merchandise, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The suit was filed in St. Louis circuit court, and says the Rams violated Missouri’s Merchandising Practice act, citing “deception, fraud, false pretense, [and] false promise.” The fans’ lawyer intends to turn the suit into a class-action case involving tens of thousands of fans who made Rams-related ticket or merchandise purchases over the past five years.
According to the law, merchandise sellers cannot deceive or leave out any “material fact” associated with their sales. In this case, the Rams’ relocation would serve as the basis for the deception as fans and purchasers seek damage payments.
The continual, repetitive reassurances from Rams owner Stan Kroenke and team reps over the past five years that the team would remain in St. Louis are listed in the court filing, emphasizing that the comments are of a misleading nature.
Steven J. Stolze, the attorney representing the four fans, told the Post-Dispatch the suit is “not about sour grapes. It’s based upon what we believe is a valid claim under the law.” The suit aims for a refund on purchases made since 2010, when Kroenke took over as majority owner.
The suit does not state how much money fans are seeking or how much they lost.