We are six days into the new year and we may have experienced the worst lawsuit of all-time.
A fan is suing the Giants and Jets, not for being terrible at professional football, but because they have the nerve to play in New Jersey, at MetLife Stadium.
Here’s the New York Daily News with more:
A $6 billion Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit filed this week demanded the two teams, with a combined record of 8-24 and one week left in yet another lost season, abandon their shared Meadowlands home of MetLife Stadium and return to the Big Apple.
Plaintiff Abdiell Suero, of Greenwich Village, asked in the class action complaint for an order returning both franchises to New York in 2025 — along with the multibillion payout nearly a half-century after the Giants moved to the swamps of Jersey.
“If the Giants and Jets want to call themselves New York teams, they need to come back to New York,” said Suero in court papers. “I’ve traveled to and from MetLife Stadium by mass transit and car service, and both ways are a nightmare.”
Court papers also asked for the two teams to be rebranded as the East Rutherford Giants and Jets for as long as they continue to play in New Jersey.
The Jets did not immediately respond to the lawsuit, while the Giants issued a statement declaring “this case has no merit and we will defend it vigorously.”
The attorney above, Evan Spencer, was quoted as saying: “The Giants and Jets have no legal or ethical right to play in a stadium built on cheap landfills in New Jersey and still call themselves New York franchises… New York is a special state and an iconic brand that can’t be used by NFL New Jersey Teams to increase their value.”
The introduction of the lawsuit read:
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Plaintiff files this class action individually and on behalf of millions of other similarly situated individuals against Defendants for false advertising, deceptive practices, Civil RICO violations, and unjust enrichment. Plaintiff and similarly situated NFL fans have been damaged by use of the “New York” (“NY”) name and brand and the out-of-state relocation of both franchises after the NFL Giants and Jets moved to the State of New Jersey to play football in MetLife Stadium (formerly Giants Stadium).
Defendants have damaged Plaintiff and the class and syphoned billions of dollars from interstate commerce that should have been rightfully spent in the State of New York. If the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Liberty, Rangers, and other New York franchises must play in New York and pay premium real estate costs and taxes to be branded a “New York” (“NY”) sports franchise, it is only fair that the NFL Giants and Jets do the same or change their name to accurately reflect the location of their stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Plaintiff and the class request equitable relief and monetary damages.
Suero and Spencer actually had a section in their lawsuit titled emotional and psychological damages, the document continued: “Medical experts have determined that there are at least eight factors that motivate people to become sports fans, including eustress (positive response to stress), self-esteem, escape, entertainment, aesthetic, group affiliation and family needs.”
A highlighted section of the Jets and Giants record over the past decade noted: “As Giants and Jets fans, Plaintiff and the class are insulted, ridiculed, harassed, tormented, and bullied by NFL fans around the United States due to the affiliation of the Giants and Jets with the State of New York rather than their true home, New Jersey… Plaintiff and the class have suffered mental and emotional damages including depression, sadness, and anxiety, as well as limited and damaged eustress, self-esteem, escape, entertainment, group affiliation and family needs as a result of Defendants’ conduct.”
According to McShane, “the lawsuit seeks $2 billion in monetary damages and $4 billion in punitive damages,” which would then be divvied up to “all Giants and Jets fans who live in New York.” Additionally, a “$50 minimum per class member” was requested.
We don’t even have to wait to update this story later as the lawsuit has no chance of winning anything and will likely be thrown out.
The Jets and Giants are both currently 4-12 in 2021 as they head into their final game of the year where the only thing they are fighting for is draft position.
