Touchdown Jacksonville Inc. partner C. Ronald Belton has
filed suit in Jacksonville Circuit Court against four of his
former partners, whom he alleges were "unfairly allowed to become
limited partners" in the Jaguars, according to Mark Basch of the
FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. Belton claims that Jeb Bush, Lawrence
DuBow, William McArthur and the estate of the late Earl Hadlow
violated both a "non-compete" and an "equal treatment for all
partners" clause in Touchdown Jacksonville's '89 partnership
agreement by joining a new entity formed in '91 called Touchdown
Jacksonville Partners L.P. The latter group, headed by Jaguars
majority Owner Wayne Weaver, eventually secured rights to the
franchise. Belton maintains he was not offered partnership in
the new ownership group. Belton filed a similar lawsuit last
year, alleging that Weaver, Jaguars President David Seldin and
limited partner Tom Petway "conspired to squeeze" him out of the
new group. Similar accusations were brought in a federal lawsuit
by Touchdown Jacksonville Inc. partners Hamilton Jordan and Peggy
Friedmann. That suit was settled out of court earlier this year
(FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 9/19).