St. Louis files for court sanctions against Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft, others

The city of St. Louis filed for court sanctions against NFL team owners Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft, John Mara and Clark Hunt for noncompliance with court-ordered discovery, according to legal analyst Daniel Wallach. The city requested that the owners turn over financial records regarding the Rams’ move to Los Angeles in 2016.

Having already missed the Sept. 28 deadline, each owner will be fined $1,000 per day for their noncompliance.

Missouri Rule of Civil Procedure 61.01, which governs sanctions for failure to make discovery, provides that an order may be entered to strike pleadings and/or render judgment by default against a party who fails to obey a court order to produce written documents.

“I can appreciate St. Louis’s concern or St. Louis’s interest in losing an NFL team,” Jones said in response to a general inquiry about the status of the case. “And I see that. I know how special they are. And so it’s a product of that. I know first hand — first hand — I’m very familiar with Missouri, and I’m very familiar with how the Rams operated in Missouri. And Stan Kroenke’s commitment and the type of sensitivity that he had and his love for Missouri. I know all of that first hand. And it was outstanding. And so every opportunity was given for the Rams to remain in St. Louis, in my view. So having said that, hopefully this thing will seek its right level.”

St. Louis, along with the county and the city’s convention authority, wants the records to calculate punitive damages should its breach-of-contract suit over the Rams’ 2016 relocation to Los Angeles prove successful.

No matter how soon they turn over the financial records, each owner will have to testify in court. A trial is scheduled for Jan. 10, and damage requests could top $1 billion.

Jones, Hunt, Kraft and Mara were part of the NFL committee that handled relocation efforts at the time of the Rams’ move in 2016.

The Rams relocated to St. Louis from Los Angeles in 1995. They won one Super Bowl during their time in the city in 1999. Talk of moving back to Los Angeles had been ongoing for years, as the team spent nearly 50 years there prior.

It’s clear from these court sanctions against Jerry Jones and others that St. Louis is serious about this. It’s never easy to lose a beloved pro franchise, and this story will be one to keep a close eye on going forward.