CLEVELAND — Lawyers from the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Browns sparred in letters late Thursday and continued building their playbooks for a showdown over the future of Huntington Bank Field.
In a letter sent to the city Thursday afternoon, the Browns' lawyers said the battle over the so-called Modell law - and its impact on the team's planned move to a new enclosed stadium in Brook Park - will play out in court.
A lawyer for the city fired back, expressing disappointment in the team's correspondence and asserting that the Browns are flouting state law.
News 5 previously reported that the city is preparing to invoke the Modell Law in response to the Browns' plans to leave city-owned Huntington Bank Field in Downtown Cleveland in 2029.
The Modell law, named for former Browns' owner Art Modell, requires the owners of pro sports teams that play in taxpayer-supported facilities to do one of two things before they move: Get their community's permission to leave or give at least six months' notice, along with an opportunity for their home city or local investors to buy the team.
In the fall of 2024, the Browns filed a lawsuit against the city in federal court, seeking a ruling that the Modell law is unconstitutional, overly vague and not applicable to them.
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The city still hasn't filed a response in that case. The judge set a deadline of Jan. 15 for Cleveland's attorneys to respond.
But in late December, Mayor Justin Bibb sent a letter to Browns' owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam asking them to comply with the law and provide clarity on when the team will be available for purchase. He asked the Haslams to respond by Thursday.
This is how the Browns responded:
And here is the letter the city's attorneys sent back:
On Jan. 2, the Browns announced that they'd made a large payment toward their planned land purchase in Brook Park, where they hope to surround a domed stadium with mixed-use development. Public records show they have until the end of this year to buy the property, 176 acres off Snow Road across from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
It's unclear whether - or how long - the battle over the Modell law will delay those plans. The team's lease at Huntington Bank Field ends after the 2028 NFL season, so the Browns are on a tight timeline to finalize their deal. They are still seeking public financing to pay for the new stadium, which could cost $2.4 billion to build.
News 5 will continue to follow the developments as the case progresses.
