The lawsuit argues that taking money from the state’s Unclaimed Funds Account to pay for the stadium that Haslam Sports Group is planning for suburban Brook Park, south of Cleveland, violates constitutional prohibitions against taking people’s private property for government use, as well as citizens’ due process rights. The city of Cleveland has fought the plan.
The litigation challenges specific provisions in the state’s two-year, $60 billion operating budget that diverts more than $1 billion in unclaimed funds to create an Ohio Cultural and Sports Facility Performance Grant Fund and designate $600 million for the Browns as its first grant.
Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has spoken out against using unclaimed funds for such a purpose, having gone so far as to urge DeWine to veto it. However, the state’s top lawyer has said he believes the plan is legally sound.