New Jersey Superior Court Judge DEANNE WILSON on Friday "punished" Vikings Owners ZYGI and MARK WILF and their cousin, LEONARD WILF, with $103M in "damages, fees, interest and expenses for defrauding and deceiving business partners in the operation of an apartment complex," according to Mitchell & Spencer of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Wilson ordered the Wilfs to post a $110M bond by Jan. 8 that will be "held for three years or until they exhaust their appeals in the long-running case." Wilson also allowed the Wilfs to "file a second appeal of her order that their personal wealth be made public as part of the suit." The Wilfs’ attorney, former New Jersey Attorney General PETER HARVEY, "promised a comprehensive appeal of what he called 'a number of serious errors' by the judge." Harvey said that the Wilfs will "seek to block the release of their personal net worth." State officials said that the ruling is "unlikely to affect the Wilfs’ participation in a public-private partnership" to build the Vikings stadium in downtown Minneapolis or their "opinion of the Wilfs as business partners in light of the New Jersey ruling." Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority Chair MICHELE KELM-HELGEN said, "It won't have any impact on the stadium financing. They're clearly able to continue with their investment" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/22).
