Washington DC AG filing civil suit vs. Commanders, Snyder, NFL, Goodell

The legal professional common for the District of Columbia stated Thursday his workplace is submitting a civil shopper safety lawsuit in opposition to the Washington Commanders, proprietor Dan Snyder, the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell, alleging the 4 events colluded to deceive D.C. residents about an investigation into the Commanders’ office tradition.

The NFL stated Thursday it rejects the “legally unsound and factually baseless allegations” made by Lawyer Common Karl Racine and would “vigorously defend” itself.

“The impartial investigation into office misconduct on the Washington Commanders was completely and comprehensively carried out by Beth Wilkinson and her legislation agency,” the league stated in an announcement. “Following the completion of the investigation, the NFL made public a abstract of Ms. Wilkinson’s findings and imposed a record-setting effective in opposition to the membership and its possession. We reject the legally unsound and factually baseless allegations made in the present day by the D.C. Lawyer Common in opposition to the NFL and Commissioner Goodell and can vigorously defend in opposition to these claims.”

Racine alleged throughout Thursday’s information convention that the staff and league violated D.C. shoppers’ rights primarily based on what they knew in regards to the group’s office misconduct, saying Snyder lied about his data of the state of affairs. Whereas not specifying the damages he is in search of, Racine stated the legislation supplies for fines of as much as $5,000 per lie.

“For years, the staff and its proprietor have prompted very actual and really critical hurt after which lied about it to dodge accountability,” Racine stated, additionally alleging that Goodell and the NFL misled the general public.

Requested a few parallel evaluation into the staff’s funds and withholding cash from season-ticket holders, Racine stated, “There will be extra information on that subsequent week.” Racine’s workplace launched an investigation into the staff across the time the U.S. Home Committee for Oversight and Reform referred its case, which initially centered on office tradition points, to the Federal Commerce Fee for potential monetary improprieties. The staff has denied “any suggestion of monetary impropriety.”

The Commanders stated in an announcement on Thursday that they “welcome this chance to defend the group.”

“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 and so they have apologized many instances for permitting that to occur,” the staff stated. “We agree with AG Racine on one factor: the general public must know the reality. Though the lawsuit repeats a variety 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.”

The staff is the topic of a number of ongoing investigations, together with by the attorneys common of D.C. and Virginia, Congress and the league. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy final week stated former U.S. Lawyer Mary Jo White’s evaluation on behalf of the league is ongoing and there’s no timetable for when it is going to be accomplished.

“We are going to difficulty subpoenas,” Racine stated. “We are going to search testimony underneath oath.”

Attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who symbolize greater than 40 former staff workers, stated the civil criticism “is additional proof of what we have lengthy identified: that each the Commanders and the NFL have engaged in deception and lies designed to hide the staff’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.”

The Snyders introduced final week they employed Financial institution of America Securities to look into promoting half or the entire staff. A staff spokesperson stated they have been “exploring all choices” regarding the group.