“When you consider the opinions of Missouri citizens, they likely would side with the angry local fans as opposed to the team that they think abandoned them,” said Goldberg Segalla partner and Sports and Entertainment Practice Group Chair Joseph M. Hanna in a Law360 piece.

The article discusses a spate of putative class actions the former St. Louis Rams are facing after the team’s move to Los Angeles, three of which are limited to personal seat licenses, or PSLs. A fourth — which was consolidated with the PSL cases — seeks recovery for fans who purchased tickets, concessions, and team merchandise while Rams owner Stan Kroenke and others associated with the team maintained that their ultimate goal was for the team to remain in St. Louis.

As Joe notes, the outcome of an ongoing dispute over whether the fourth suit — which the Rams removed to federal court before it was consolidated — should be remanded back to state court in Missouri could have a critical impact on how it is resolved.

“Therefore, in this case, if this state court judge responds to this political pressure to keep his office once the vote comes around, the judge may not feel as tempted to find in favor of the party that left Missouri in such a controversial way,” Joe said.

Read the article here:

• “Rams Fans’ Merchandise Claims Will Be Tough to Prove,” Law360, October 10, 2016 (subscription required)