Federal judge rules Ohio can pay $600 million to build new Browns stadium

A federal judge ruled that Ohio will pay $600 million toward building the new Cleveland Browns’ stadium in the city’s suburb, Brook Park.

The $600 million is a part of the $1.9 billion in unclaimed funds that Ohio would need to begin transferring into a new fund on Jan. 1, 2026, the Statehouse News Bureau reported.

U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus Jr., who made the decision, also rejected Ohio’s request for a dismissal of the lawsuit that was filed by Democratic former state lawmakers Jeffrey Crossman and Marc Dann, Ohio.News previously reported.

Crossman and Dann sought a temporary restraining order to halt the transfer, with Dann saying that people who believe they are the owners of unclaimed funds can still file claims until 2036.

“I think that’s why the judge found that there wasn’t an urgency,” Dann told the Statehouse News Bureau. “We disagree, and we’re looking at our options relating to that.”

Dann said that he and Crossman “haven’t given up yet on getting that order in place between now and Jan. 1,” adding that even if they fail, “the Browns can always pay it back.”

In his previous statement, Dann pointed out that it is not about football or the state, but rather about “whether our most basic property rights mean anything when the government decides it wants what’s ours.”

“If states can take money held in trust for citizens and spend it on private ventures, no one’s property is safe,” he said. “We’re asking the U.S. Supreme Court to make clear that due process and just compensation are not optional.”

Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio, D-Lakewood, previously criticized the state Senate for passing a budget that included $600 million for the new stadium for the Browns.

“If they could find that money for the Browns in their stadium move to Brook Park, why didn’t they decide to use those funds for the schools, to fully fund the schools,” he said. “Or for all of the myriad of programs that they’ve said, we don’t have enough money to fund right now.”

Ohio.News previously reported that the Browns and the city of Cleveland agreed to a $100 million exit settlement, which led to the team leaving the city for the first time and relocating to Brook Park.

“This is really a win for the city. We think what we have here is a deal that is historic,” Law Director Mark Griffin said. “Instead of us paying to subsidize professional football, they’re going to pay us.”

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibbs said that he followed the Cleveland City Council’s direction to ensure the city didn’t leave empty-handed.

However, members of the council, even the ones who voted for the relocation of the team, announced they didn’t like the decision.