A team of out-of-state attorneys has filed a lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages from the Patriots [team stats] and coach Bill Belichick claiming that the team defrauded St. Louis fans and players when they allegedly taped a Rams practice before narrowly winning the 2002 Super Bowl.
The complaint, filed today in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, is one in a series of attacks on the team and Belichick, who were fined and sanctioned in last year’s “Spygate” scandal for videotaping signals during a 2007 New York Jets [team stats] game.
The lawsuit, brought on behalf of former Rams player Willie Gary, two 2002 Super Bowl ticket holders and a Rams seat license holder, claims that the alleged taping gave the Patriots an edge that won the game, thus defrauding Rams fans and players out of millions of dollars.
“It is the contention of the plaintiffs that but for the videotaping, known and unknown at this time, and based upon the results of the game by a field goal margin, the outcome of the game would have been different,” said Eric Deters, a Kentucky attorney who filed the lawsuit.
Patriots spokesman Stacey James said today,"we don’t comment on those types of things."
This isn’t the first time a losing team’s fans have tried to take legal action against the Patriots.
After last year’s Spygate scandal, New York Jets fan Carl J. Mayer filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all Jets season-ticket holders, according to published reports. Mayer calculated that fans paid $61 million to watch eight “fraudulent” games between the Jets and the Pats.
This latest lawsuit is based on allegations that a team employee recorded the Rams walk-through practice on the Saturday before Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome. The Patriots won the game 20-17.
The Patriots and the National Football League have said there is no evidence that the 2002 taping occurred.
Deters said he has no firsthand evidence that the 2002 taping occurred, either. He based the complaint on media reports.
The lawsuit seeks $35 million in damages covering, among other things, the loss of Super Bowl rings, bonuses and endorsements for the 45 Rams players and cost of $400 tickets for 72,922 fans at the game.
“Each ticket attendee of the game paid millions of dollars to watch a supposedly honest competitive game,” according to the lawsuit.
The attorneys are seeking that the damages be tripled under the Civil Rico laws, bringing the damages to $100 million.
The attorneys also want the complaint to be certified as a class action lawsuit for three distinct classes - Rams players; the 72,922 fans who bought tickets for the 2002 Super Bowl; and owners of Rams seat licenses for the 2001-2002 season.
The suit names the Patriots, on behalf of owner Robert Kraft, and Belichick.
The plaintiffs include Gary; ticket holder Kevin Hacker of Cincinnati, Ohio; ticket holder Marcus Miller of Collinsville, Ill.; and Peter Trout of St. Charles, Mo., the owner of two Rams seat licenses.
The suit was filed today in U.S. District Court Eastern Division in New Orleans and has been assigned to a judge, according to a court clerk. Summons have been issued to the Patriots [team stats] and Belichick, the clerk said.
