NGT- DC AG sues Snyder, the Commanders and the NFL

[MightyGiants]

Please try and keep this non-political.

First, there was the shot from the Commanders last night:


John Keim  @john_keim
19h
From a Commanders spokesperson regarding the DC AG press conference Tomorrow:




Then came the announcement


Ralph Vacchiano


25m • 10 tweets • 2 min read
Washington D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announces a civil lawsuit against the Commanders, Dan Snyder, the NFL and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

"We're standing up for D.C. residents who have been repeatedly lied to and decieved. They have a right to know the truth."
DC AG Racine says the Commanders, NFL, etc. have "caused very real and very serious harm, and then lied about it to dodge accountability and continued to rake in profits. So far they seem to have gotten away with it.

"That stops today."
DC AG Racine says Commanders owner Dan Snyder "lied ... when he denied knowing anything about a hostile working environment and toxic culture ... Mr. Snyder was not only aware of the toxic culture, he encouraged it and he participated in it."
DC AG Racine says Snyder lied and "repeatedly blamed the victims" and others "to insulate himself from consequences, to protect his image and to protect his profits."
DC AG Racine hits NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for lying to the public, too. He says the "independent" investigation was "all for show." He said the NFL and Snyder "secretly entered into an agreement about the investigation" that gave Snyder inside information.
DC AG Racine said the NFL "buried" the results of the investigation and misled the public.

"They did all of this to hide the truth, protect their images, and let the profits continue to roll."
DC AG Racine says he will issue subpeonas to compel testimony in this lawsuit. And in a shot at Snyder, he added "The depositions not likely to occur on a yacht. ... because no one is above the law."
Racine is only the AG until Jan. 2. Brian Schwab is the AG-elect. Said Racine: "I'm quite confident this case will continue."
DC AG Racine on the controversial statement a Snyder spokesperson issued last night: "What Mr. Snyder sought to do is what he does all the time -- deflect attention from his conduct ... and otherwise try to burn the bridge and trash the city. That's not going to happen here."
DC AG Racine on the goals of filing this lawsuit:

"Accountability. Public accountability for wrongdoing in creating a misogynistic and toxic workplace."

He said there hasn't been any accountability so far for any of the parties involved.

DC AG Racine says that selling the franchise won't be enough to get Dan Snyder out of trouble here:

"He sells the team, he's still a defendant. The way the law works, legal wrongs need to be vindicated regardless of whether there's a sale. This lawsuit will continue."

And if Dan Snyder decides to settle the lawsuit from the DC AG office?

"If it's settled," Racine says, "we're going to tell you everything that we found."

Finally, DC AG Racine added that he will have more news next week on the investigation into Dan Snyder's alleged financial impropriaties and fraud.
• • •

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1590770606596710400.html

[MightyGiants]

Ralph Vacchiano  @RalphVacchiano
1m
A statement from @katzbanks, the lawyers who represent more than 40 former Commanders employees, on the civil lawsuit filed by the D.C. Attorney General:

[MightyGiants]

My take, and I qualify I am not a lawyer, not even remotely:

I think the AG's claim of the residents of DC being the injured party seems like a real stretch.


I have to think the AG's goal is to get the case moved far enough along to get to discovery so they can see what has been covered up.

[H-Town G-Fan]

My take, and I qualify I am not a lawyer, not even remotely:

I think the AG's claim of the residents of DC being the injured party seems like a real stretch.


I have to think the AG's goal is to get the case moved far enough along to get to discovery so they can see what has been covered up.

I'm not sure about the "consumer protection" aspect of these claims, but I presume that the AG has done enough investigating to believe that he will get past a motion to dismiss. Should be noted that the case actually hasn't been filed yet, so I haven't had the opportunity to see how they're positioning these claims and the logic they're going to rely on. Of course they want to get into discovery and try to depose Goodell and Snyder (Racine specifically saying they had an agreement regarding the NFL's investigation most certainly is meant to put Goodell in the crosshairs for sworn testimony), but that won't be easy and there will be a number of steps before they get that far.

NFL and Snyder will likely waive service, giving them 60 days to answer, meaning we're into 2023 before any motion to dismiss is filed (assuming no extensions). The AG leaves January 1, 2023, so he won't even be around to pursue this claim. Have to see how much stomach his successor has for this case.

[zephirus]

My take, and I qualify I am not a lawyer, not even remotely:

I think the AG's claim of the residents of DC being the injured party seems like a real stretch.


I have to think the AG's goal is to get the case moved far enough along to get to discovery so they can see what has been covered up.

 You're dead on - as much as I hate Snyder and the organization, this has a sensationalist feel of someone piling on with minimal chance of succeeding.  The Jon Gruden case against the NFL is considerably more compelling and would bring all this to light anyway. 

[madbadger]

My take, and I qualify I am not a lawyer, not even remotely:

I think the AG's claim of the residents of DC being the injured party seems like a real stretch.


I have to think the AG's goal is to get the case moved far enough along to get to discovery so they can see what has been covered up.

The only victims are the employees of the Commanders and their families. I don't see some great public harm.

District Attorneys/Attorney Generals are elected positions. It should never come as a surprise when a DA, from either party, pursues a dubious case against a high profile individual/entity. It's free press for them and it's even more valuable when the target is unpopular.

The NY attorney general made central to her campaign the promise to prosecute Donald Trump if elected. Her civil suit concerning the valuation of his properties in lending deals is her living up to her campaign promise.

It doesn't matter if she or the DC attorney general are successful in those cases. It has less to do about justice and more to do about sending message. Republican AG's/DA's do the same xxxx too.