Rams fans sue team, alleging owner lied
ST. LOUIS -- A lawsuit filed by four Rams fans from St. Louis claims owner Stan Kroenke and others lied about their desire to keep the team in St. Louis, violating Missouri law.
The suit was filed Wednesday in St. Louis Circuit Court, one day after NFL owners voted to allow the Rams to relocate to Los Angeles.
The suit alleges that Kroenke and chief operating officer Kevin Demoff made false and misleading statements indicating the team had no intention to move. It says that based on what is now known, that violates Missouri's Merchandising Practices Act, which prohibits false statements in the sale or advertisement of trade or commerce.
The suit claims the Rams violated the law in connection with ticket and merchandise sales.
Messages seeking comment Thursday from the Rams were not immediately returned.
CBSSports.com's Will Brinson writes that "the city of St. Louis is distraught -- fans are understandably quite angry -- and the political leaders around St. Louis are pretty infuriated as well."
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said Wednesday that he has "no appetite" for seeking another NFL team, based on what he called the dishonest way St. Louis was dealt with over the stadium issue. Meanwhile Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called the decision "disappointing" and "a clear deviation from NFL guidelines."
CBS affiliate KMOV in St. Louis reported that even a three-year-old has given her take on Kroenke.
"Now we can't live in St. Louis," the girl says in the video, which has been viewed more than 30,000 times.