Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria suing former season-ticket holder
The Miami Marlins are suing a former season-ticket holder to seize a $725,000 building he owns, according to court records obtained by Paste BN Sports.
The Miami New Times was the first to report on the lawsuit.
The Marlins, owned by Jeffrey Loria, initiated a foreclosure proceeding for a commercial building Kenneth Sack owns in Oakland Park, Fla., arguing that they can seize the property — worth $725,000, according to property appraisers — to fulfill $97,200 that Sack owes the team as a result of another lawsuit in which the team sued Sack for backing out of a season-ticket agreement.
According to court documents obtained by Paste BN Sports, Sack signed a four-year contract for season tickets in 2012, and paid for the first season but then reneged and was sued by the Marlins in December 2014 for the remaining $97,200 he owed. Sack was one of nine disgruntled season-ticket holders and luxury-suite owners to be sued by the baseball team because they opted out of their first round of season tickets — citing the Marlins' failure to honor commitments for the ticket-holders, including free parking spaces.
In January of this year, the Marlins won the judgment against Sack, although the ruling was appealed and the civil case remains open. In the meantime, the Marlins are going off the court ruling in an attempt to seize the $725,000 property.
Both the original lawsuits and the latest one against Sack are unusual moves for professional sports teams. When teams struggle — as the Marlins have — legal action is usually avoided because of the negative publicity and message it sends to its fanbase. Miami’s attendance numbers have been in the basement among MLB teams. Miami is currently hosting MLB All-Star festivities.
Messages left by Paste BN Sports to the Miami Marlins on Monday afternoon were not immediately returned. The team’s D.C.-based attorney, Kenneth Chase, did not immediately return messages.
Loria is expected to sell the team — most likely after the season. The New York Times reported that if Loria sells the team after March 2018, it will prevent the city and county from receiving a 5% share of the profits. The sale is expected to close at a number in excess of $1 billion.
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