AP

Commanders sued by DC for cheating fans out of ticket money

Nov 16, 2022, 9:40 PM | Updated: Nov 17, 2022, 2:49 pm

Fans watch as the Washington Commanders face the Jacksonville Jaguars in an NFL football game, Sund...

Fans watch as the Washington Commanders face the Jacksonville Jaguars in an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in Landover, Md. The Washington Commanders have been sued again by the District of Columbia, this time accused of scheming to cheat fans out of ticket money. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, announced the filing of a lawsuit in civil court against the NFL team for the team's actions in taking season-ticket holder money and keeping it for its own purposes. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

(AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)


              Fans watch as the Washington Commanders face the Jacksonville Jaguars in an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in Landover, Md.  The Washington Commanders have been sued again by the District of Columbia, this time accused of scheming to cheat fans out of ticket money. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, announced the filing of a lawsuit in civil court against the NFL team for the team's actions in taking season-ticket holder money and keeping it for its own purposes. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
            
              FILE - District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine speaks during a news conference in Washington, on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022. The Washington Commanders have been sued again by the District of Columbia, this time accused of scheming to cheat fans out of ticket money. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, announced the filing of a lawsuit in civil court against the NFL team for the team's actions in taking season-ticket holder money and keeping it for its own purposes.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
            
              Fans watch as the Washington Commanders face the Jacksonville Jaguars in an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in Landover, Md.  The Washington Commanders have been sued again by the District of Columbia, this time accused of scheming to cheat fans out of ticket money. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, announced the filing of a lawsuit in civil court against the NFL team for the team's actions in taking season-ticket holder money and keeping it for its own purposes. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
            
              FILE - District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine speaks during a news conference in Washington, on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022. The Washington Commanders have been sued again by the District of Columbia, this time accused of scheming to cheat fans out of ticket money. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, announced the filing of a lawsuit in civil court against the NFL team for the team's actions in taking season-ticket holder money and keeping it for its own purposes.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
            
              FILE - U.S. House Committee for Oversight and Reform ranking member Rep. James Comer Jr., R-Ky., listens during a hearing on the Washington Commanders' workplace conduct, Wednesday, June 22, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The congressional investigation of the NFL's Washington Commanders will end when Republicans take over early next year. Comer issued a statement Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, saying simply, ‘It’s over." (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Washington Commanders have been sued again by the District of Columbia, this time accused of scheming to cheat fans out of ticket money.

D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine on Thursday announced the filing of a lawsuit in civil court against the NFL team for its actions in taking season-ticket holder money and keeping it for its own purposes.

It’s the second civil suit by Racine’s office in eight days, after last week filing a complaint in D.C. Superior Court that the Commanders, owner Dan Snyder, Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league colluded to deceive fans about an investigation into the team’s workplace culture.

Racine in a statement said the club’s ticket policy in question “is yet another example of egregious mismanagement and illegal conduct by Commanders executives who seem determined to lie, cheat and steal from District residents in as many ways as possible.”

In the latest complaint, the District says the Commanders as of March still held nearly $200,000 in unreturned security deposits paid by season-ticket holders who qualify as D.C. consumers under the Consumer Protection Procedures Act.

The complaint alleges the team “deceptively” held onto deposits beyond the 30 days spelled out in ticket-holder contracts — sometimes for more than a decade — and said it capitalized on consumers forgetting about the money or imposed extra, burdensome conditions to get it back.

In a statement responding to the suit, a Commanders spokesperson said the team has not accepted security deposits for more than a decade for suites and more than 20 years for premium tickets and began returning money to season-ticket holders in 2014.

“In 2014, as part of a comprehensive review, team management was instructed to send notices to over 1,400 customers with deposits and return all security deposits requested,” the spokesperson said. “The team engaged an outside law firm and forensic auditors to conduct an extensive review of the team’s accounts, which found no evidence that the team intentionally withheld security deposits that should have been returned to customers or that the team improperly converted any unclaimed deposits to revenue. “

This lawsuit comes after the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform in April referred its investigation that centered on workplace misconduct to the Federal Trade Commission for potential financial improprieties, which the Commanders denied in a subsequent letter to the FTC.

Attorneys general for D.C. and Virginia then opened up parallel investigations, and the league retained former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White to look into Washington’s questionable business practices in withholding ticket revenue not only from fans but from other teams.

The latest lawsuit kept one of several investigations into the team on multiple fronts ongoing while another is set to wrap up early next year.

The ranking Republican on the Oversight Committee declared its investigation will end early next year when his party takes over control of the House of Representatives. “It’s over,” Rep. James Comer of Kentucky said in a brief statement, which came after The Associated Press and other outlets projected Republicans clinched a narrow majority in the House for the 118th Congress that begins meeting Jan. 3.

Democrats led by chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of New York and Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee Chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois had been presiding over the investigation since last year. Comer vowed over the summer to bring it to a halt if Republicans won House control from midterm elections, as expected.

The team in a statement through legal counsel praised the decision to drop the case.

“The Congressional investigation has added nothing of value to this process and, indeed, the independent firm (Vestry Laight that is) monitoring the improvements in the Commanders’ workplace has singled out the investigation as an impediment to further progress,” attorneys John Brownlee and Stuart Nash said, adding the investigation has not interviewed any current employees and has relied largely on those who have been fired or left the organization.

A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee said there were no updates on the investigation, which included virtual testimony from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a public hearing and a private virtual deposition by Washington owner Dan Snyder that lasted for more than 10 hours, the contents of which have yet to be released.

Dan and wife Tanya recently hired a firm to explore possible transactions, which could include selling part or all of the team Snyder has owned since 1999. Racine said last week Snyder would still be a defendant in the initial lawsuit even if he sold the Commanders.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Commanders sued by DC for cheating fans out of ticket money