It's Our City is a project that uses TV, Radio and Web
to promote civic engagement in the Philadelphia region.City of Philadelphia ordered to pay $5 million for cancelled 2001 NFL game
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 at 10:56 am - by Alan Tu. Filed under: Community.
Judge Albert W. Sheppard of the Court of Common Pleas has ordered the City of Philadelphia to pay the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team $5 million for lost revenues from a canceled 2001 preseason game.
This follows a separate ruling that orders the Eagles to pay the city $8 million costs related with the now demolished Veterans Stadium. Under a contract the team was supposed to pay rent to the city for the use of luxury sky boxes. But the team withheld $8 million due to the city because it believed it lost the same amount after a game had to be canceled due to poor field conditions.
Mayor Michael Nutter issued the following statement this morning.
I am pleased that this matter has finally been concluded. Just over a week ago Judge Sheppard ordered the Eagles to pay the City $8 million and today he has ordered the City to pay the Eagles $5 million, resolving both pieces of this case.
The bottom line is that the city comes out $3 million ahead.
Whew! This dispute is finally over.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
I hope the Eagles will be writting a check to the city shortly.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Over?! It’s not over ’till we say it’s over! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
That’s just my way of saying that the Eagles will likely appeal. This will all go through the courts again and eventually some judge will decide that the Eagles lost exactly $8 million so neither side gets anything (except for to pay each other’s lawyers fees, which will somehow be identical).
June 17th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Oh, I think it’s over. I think the city is happy with this. For the city, facing a budget shortfall this is like finding a $20 bill in the parking lot of Walmart. For the Eagles, they save face because a judge affirmed their strong belief that the city was lax on taking care of the grass at Vet stadium. It’s over.