On Thursday, March 12, the NFL was found guilty of breaching its contracts with seven fans who purchased tickets to Super Bowl XLV back in 2011 and is ordered to pay those fans $75,000.
The seven fans brought this lawsuit against the NFL after they were denied the seats they purchased tickets to at the Super Bowl in Arlington, Texas. Only a few hours before game time, the local fire marshal determined the seats unsafe, and the NFL had to scurry to supply new seats. Some ticket holders got seats with obstructed views, and some ticket holders didn’t get any seats at all.
The jury rendered a verdict against the NFL, finding that the league breached the contract it entered into with the ticket holders. The jury did not find, however, that the NFL acted fraudulently in breaching their contracts. Had the jury found fraudulent activity on behalf of the NFL, the jury award would’ve been significantly higher than the $75,000 awarded. The seven fans are to individually receive varying amounts ranging from $5,600 to $22,000. This, however, is still not the end for the jilted fans.
Yesterday, March 11, while the jury was deliberating, ESPN posted an interview with Scott Suprina, the president of Seating Solutions, who was blamed for not building temporary seating to accommodate the fans fast enough. During the interview, Suprina stated that the NFL encouraged him to not tell the whole story and that they reinforced what his position should be before his deposition. The plaintiffs’ attorneys filed an emergency motion claiming that Suprina was coached, which is grounds for a mistrial. Suprina has since given another interview during which he says the allegations of coaching are “simply not true.” The attorneys have until Wednesday to subpoena Suprina and have him appear in court.