In a move that would be shocking if not for his long history of outrageous actions, Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is having the team pursue several lawsuits against fans who cancelled multi-year season ticket arrangements when the team failed to hold up its end of the bargain.
Currently, the team is making headlines for an attempt to have a judge foreclose on a property owned by one such fan. A lawsuit filed in Broward County, Fla. asks that a building – valued at $725,000 – be foreclosed upon and placed in receivership so the team can collect rent to satisfy a $97,000 judgement against the man. This is despite the judgement still being under appeal.
“I don’t understand why Major League Baseball continues to allow Jeffrey Loria to behave like this,” says Daniel Rose, an attorney representing another former season ticketholder locked in a legal battle with the team. “At the end of the day, what is the motive to go after fans like this? It just shows their greed and a complete lack of respect for their fan base.”
The New Times article says that Loria and his lawyers have brought at least nine lawsuits against season ticket holders and luxury suite owners since 2003. Primarily, they are related to a multi-year ticket deal the team sold in its first year at its new stadium in 2012. Promising a competitive team and perks like pre- and postgame buffets, private parking, and meet-and-greet opportunities with players, the buyers instead got a team with a bottomed-out payroll, no parking, and a buffet “stocked with crappy panini night after night.”
“I didn’t want my money back or anything, but I said, ‘Please give me back the stuff you promised,'” longtime fan Mickey Axelband told New Times last year. “The answer I got back was basically, ‘Yeah, we know we took it all away, but tough shit.'”