Angels Name Change Case Goes to Jury
Angels Name Change Case Goes to Jury
Published: 2/8/06, 8:46 PM EDT
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - The lawsuit by Anaheim contesting the renaming of the Angels went to the jury Wednesday after nearly five hours of closing arguments.
The jury was expected to begin deliberations Thursday, deciding whether team owner Arte Moreno violated a 1996 stadium lease agreement with Anaheim when he changed the team's name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005 from the Anaheim Angels.
The city sued in January last year, claiming it lost at least $100 million in publicity and revenue.
Anaheim lawyer Andrew Guilford argued that the team violated both the stadium lease agreement and state law that ensures "good faith and fair dealing" in business contracts.
Angels lawyer Todd Theodora said the lease was clear and the language only requires that the team name include the word "Anaheim." He said it does not require that Anaheim be the only city listed in the name or that Anaheim have prominence in the name.
"You do not need to go outside this contract to resolve this case. This contract expresses the interests of the parties. The parties agreed that this contract is the entire face of this agreement," he said.
Moreno's lawyers adding Los Angeles takes advantage of added marketing opportunities by associating the Angels with the nation's second-largest media market.
Moreno bought the team from The Walt Disney Co. in 2003, and is bound by the stadium lease Disney negotiated with Anaheim. That lease expires in 2026, but the Angels can opt out at a cost in 2016.
The jury is being asked to decide whether to award damages for the year 2005 and any future damages that would result from the name change. They can also rule that the team breached the contract with the city but that the breach didn't cost the city.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter J. Polos said he could decide whether to issue an injunction to restore the team's original name based on the jury's findings.
Credit to BellSouth
