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Entertainment & Sports Law

NFL Sweetens Offer to Jilted Super Bowl Fans as Lawyer Sues and Lawsuit Websites Proliferate

The National Football League is sweetening its offer to the 400 fans who bought tickets to the Super Bowl but didn’t get a seat, even as a lawsuit was filed on behalf of those fans and others who were disappointed in their seats.

The NFL is giving the 400 jilted fans a choice: They can take $2,400 plus a ticket to next year’s Super Bowl, or they can accept a new offer of one free ticket, plus round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations, to a Super Bowl of their choosing, Bloomberg News reports.

The $2,400 offer doesn’t cover the travel and ticket costs for fans who paid higher than face value, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday in Dallas federal court. Bloomberg News has a separate story on the suit, which seeks at least $5 million in damages. Named as defendants are the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys and team owner Jerry Jones, according to a press release.

The suit also seeks damages for season ticket holders who claim they were given seats with obstructed views. The name plaintiff, lawyer Mike Dolabi, said he and other fans paid at least $100,000 for a seat license with the promise of a Super Bowl seat with one of the best sightlines in the stadium. Instead, the fans had to sit on metal folding chairs with partially blocked views, the suit says.

The suit alleges breach of contract, fraud, breach of good faith and violations of Texas’ deceptive trade practices law. The law firm Eagan Avenatti, which specializes in consumer rights, represents the plaintiffs.

Meanwhile a number of websites have sprung up with names such as SuperBowlSuit.com and SueSuperBowl.com, according to NBCSports.com. The sites likely violate the Super Bowl trademark, NBC says, which ironically could lead to more litigation.