Court rules Rams lawsuit can be heard in St. Louis courtroom

Ty AlbrightSeptember 4, 2019

Nfl meetings los angeles football — File - In this May 29, 2015, file photo, fans hold up signs with a picture of St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke and "Keep the Rams in STL" during a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, in St. Louis. The NFLs owners could take a significant step toward the leagues return to Los Angeles this week. Or they could decide to take another big step back. Nobody seems certain of the next move in this exhausting dance when the full ownership convenes Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, for its annual meetings at a luxury resort outside Dallas. (AP Photo/Billy Hurst, File)

(AP) The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that a lawsuit filed over the Rams’ departure from St. Louis in 2016 will be heard in a St. Louis courtroom, a defeat for the NFL team’s owner who sought to send the case to arbitration.

The court issued its ruling Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by St. Louis city and county and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority, which owns the domed stadium where the Rams formerly played.

The lawsuit named Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who moved the team to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, the NFL and league owners.

It wasn’t immediately clear if an appeal was planned. Messages left Wednesday with the Rams, Kroenke’s attorney and the NFL were not immediately returned.

Ty AlbrightSeptember 4, 2019