Lawsuit Questions Browns Stadium Funding
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A class-action lawsuit filed in county court alleges that the Ohio Republicans’ strategy to finance a new indoor stadium for the Cleveland Browns, using unclaimed funds by residents, violates multiple provisions of the state and federal constitutions.
The legal action, filed Monday in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, was brought by former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and former State Representative Jeffrey Crossman, both Democrats. The lawsuit represents three Ohio residents and all individuals whose unclaimed funds were in the state’s possession as of June 30, 2025. The plaintiffs have requested an injunction to halt the plan.
The lawsuit argues that the use of money from the state’s Unclaimed Funds Account for the stadium, planned by the Haslam Sports Group on the outskirts of Brook Park, south of Cleveland, violates constitutional prohibitions against taking private property for governmental use, as well as citizens’ due process rights. The city of Cleveland has opposed the plan.
The litigation challenges specific provisions of the state’s two-year, $60 billion operating budget, which diverts more than a billion dollars in unclaimed funds to create an Ohio Cultural and Sports Facilities Performance Grant Fund, designating $600 million for the Browns as its first grant.
Ohio’s Republican Attorney General, Dave Yost, has spoken out against the use of unclaimed funds for this purpose, even urging Governor DeWine to veto it. However, the state’s top lawyer has stated that he believes the plan is legally sound.
