An eight-person jury in Dallas on Thursday found that the NFL "breached its contracts with seven fans" during Super Bowl XLV at AT&T Stadium and "ordered the league to pay nearly $76,000 in combined damages," according to Jeff Mosier of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. The damages were "generally slightly less than the plaintiffs requested," and the jury "rejected two fraud claims" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/13). Dallas-based WFAA-ABC noted the jury "awarded between $5,770 to $22,000 to the plaintiffs." However, the jury "did not rule in favor of two of the plaintiffs, saying the NFL did not commit fraud in their cases," and they "will not be awarded money." Attorneys on both sides said that they "were pleased with the verdict." The NFL said that "all along there were mistakes and settled with hundreds of other fans for about $5,000 apiece." After the verdict, plaintiffs attorney Michael Avenatti asked U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn to "issue a subpoena for the stadium's seating contractor, meaning the verdict may not be final" (WFAA.com, 3/12). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio wrote the verdict "feels like a big win for the league because the verdict was on the wrong side (from the perspective of the plaintiff) of six figures" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 3/12).
NOT FINISHED YET: Avenatti said if it is true a seating contractor was coached by the league about his testimony, Thursday’s verdict is the least of the NFL’s concern. He said, “If what is reported is accurate, and I don’t have any reason to say it’s not, there are serious ramifications to that including possible criminal charges against individuals associated with the NFL for witness tampering.” Seating Solutions Owner Scott Suprina on ESPN yesterday said the NFL had coached him not to talk publicly since '11, when his company could not finish temporary seats in time. Suprina today told a Dallas newspaper he did not lie in his testimony (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer).
