49ers Fan Suing Seahawks, NFL For $50M Over Selective Ticket Sales
(CBS) Even in the offseason, the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry is simply the best the NFL has going.
In the most recent controversy, a 49ers fan is suing the Seahawks and NFL for $50 million over Seattle's selective ticket sale process for last season's NFC Championship game, for which fans could only buy tickets if they had a credit card billing address in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Alaska or Hawaii -- and Canada.
And that has apparently really upset a man in Nevada.
John E. Williams III has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the NFL because he says the Seahawks and the league used a selective ticket process that violates the law.
From the lawsuit, which was filed in a US District Court in Las Vegas.
The practice of withholding the sale of tickets from the public at large and allowing only credit card holders limited to certain areas is a violation of the Federal Consumer Fraud Act and/or common law.
Of the $50 million that Williams is seeking, he's hoping to get $10 million in punitive damages and $40 million in real damages. In an interview with the Associated Press, Williams said that, by limiting ticket sales, the Seahawks "fixed" the game.
"They're always boasting up there about their 12th player and everything else," Williams said. "But by allowing the NFL to decide who can or cannot attend the games, you make it an unfair game. Seattle fixed it."
