DC attorney general sues NFL, Washington Commenders and Dan Snyder

Washington, D.C., Legal professional Basic Karl Racine (D) introduced on Thursday that his workplace has filed a civil swimsuit in opposition to the Washington Commanders and crew proprietor Daniel Snyder, the NFL and league Commissioner Roger Goodell amid a number of investigations in opposition to Snyder and his NFL franchise.

At a information convention on Thursday, Racine, who is because of step down from his function in January, alleged that the 4 defendants within the lawsuit colluded to deceive metropolis residents concerning the league’s preliminary investigation into the crew, which was carried out by team-appointed legal professional Beth Wilkinson. 

Racine additionally stated on the information convention that the crew and the league violated the town’s shopper rights, alleging that Snyder lied about his data of the investigation into his crew. 

The most recent lawsuit stems from Wilkinson’s preliminary investigation into the Commanders, which resulted within the league penalizing the crew final July for a file $10 million and requiring crew executives to be skilled in subjects resembling bullying and unconscious bias. 

“The Commanders and Dan Snyder lied to D.C. residents about what they knew a few poisonous tradition of sexual harassment, after which they entered right into a secret settlement with the NFL and Commissioner Goodell that saved the reality from D.C. residents — all in an effort to guard their income,” Racine stated.

“In D.C., you possibly can’t deceive shoppers to complement your self and get away with it. That’s what this lawsuit is about: standing up for D.C. residents who have been deceived and misled. Nobody — not even Mr. Snyder — is above the legislation.” 

The D.C. Legal professional’s Workplace is looking for monetary penalties below the town’s Client Safety Procedures Act for every incident the defendants lied to metropolis residents courting again to July 2020, and all defendants might face monetary penalties of as much as $1 million. Racine’s workplace additionally requested the NFL to launch Wilkinson’s full investigation into the crew as nicely. 

The lawsuit comes per week after Snyder and his spouse, co-CEO Tanya Snyder, introduced that that they had employed the Financial institution of America to discover “potential transactions” of the crew, signaling a possible sale of the franchise the Snyders have owned since 1999. 

The Snyders lately gained full management of the Commanders franchise final yr after shopping for out his minority companions’ stake within the franchise. 

“Dan and Tanya Snyder and the Washington Commanders introduced at present that they’ve employed BofA Securities to contemplate potential transactions,” the couple stated in its assertion by means of the crew, including that they’ll “stay dedicated to the crew, all of its workers and its numerous followers to placing its greatest product on the sphere and persevering with the work to set the gold commonplace for workplaces within the NFL.”

The Washington, D.C.-based NFL franchise has suffered a collection of controversies below Snyder’s watch, together with claims of sexual harassment by former workers. The Home Oversight and Reform Committee has been conducting its personal investigation of the crew.

The Home panel launched its probe after emails between former crew president Bruce Allen and former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden leaked to the general public. The emails included racist, misogynistic and homophobic feedback.

The league launched its second investigation into Snyder and his group earlier this yr after former crew cheerleader and advertising and marketing supervisor Tiffani Johnston accused Snyder of sexually harassing her at a work-related dinner in 2004.

Snyder testified earlier than the Home panel in a closed-door deposition in July in accordance with their investigation into the crew. 

“Right this moment’s civil criticism filed by the DC Legal professional Basic in opposition to the Washington Commanders, Dan Snyder, the NFL, and Commissioner Roger Goodell is additional proof of what we’ve lengthy recognized: that each the Commanders and the NFL have engaged in deception and lies designed to hide the crew’s many years of sexual harassment and abuse, which has impacted not solely the victims of that abuse, but in addition shoppers within the District of Columbia,” Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, the attorneys representing the greater than 40 former Commanders workers concerned within the a number of investigations into the crew, stated in an announcement to The Hill.

They’re additionally urging the league to publicly launch the findings from Wilkinson’s investigation.

“The submitting of this criticism additionally marks an necessary step in validating the experiences of the courageous ladies and men who got here ahead and in attaining, for the primary time, a degree of transparency into the scope of the misconduct.” 

The authorized counsel for the Washington Commanders additionally made an announcement to The Hill concerning the lawsuit.

“Over two years in the past, Dan and Tanya Snyder acknowledged that an unacceptable office tradition had existed inside their group for a number of years they usually have apologized many instances for permitting that to occur,” the assertion learn. “We agree with AG Racine on one factor: the general public must know the reality. Though the lawsuit repeats quite a lot of innuendo, half-truths and lies, we welcome this chance to defend the group — for the primary time — in a courtroom of legislation and to determine, as soon as and for all, what’s reality and what’s fiction.”

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy had an announcement for The Hill concerning the investigation, as nicely.

“The unbiased investigation into office misconduct on the Washington Commanders was totally and comprehensively carried out by Beth Wilkinson and her legislation agency.  Following the completion of the investigation, the NFL made public a abstract of Ms. Wilkinson’s findings and imposed a record-setting high quality in opposition to the membership and its possession,” McCarthy stated.

“We reject the legally unsound and factually baseless allegations made at present by the D.C. Legal professional Basic in opposition to the NFL and Commissioner Goodell and can vigorously defend in opposition to these claims,” he concluded.