ST. LOUIS — A lawsuit pitting St. Louisans against Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the National Football League over the team’s 2016 exodus will play out in a St. Louis courtroom instead of in secret, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

The high court denied Kroenke’s motion to move the suit into arbitration, meaning the fight over the Rams’ move to Los Angeles will stay in St. Louis Circuit Court.

“It’s a major deal,” said Jim Shrewsbury, chairman of the public authority that owns the domed downtown football stadium. “It guarantees us our day in court.”

A Rams spokesman could not be reached for comment Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether Kroenke could appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Fans and government bodies filed four separate suits against the Rams after the team left more than three years ago: Fans who bought tickets and team merchandise sued to get some of their money back. Season ticket holders sued over the price of personal seat licenses, which gave fans the right to buy tickets. The dome authority, officially called the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority, sued over ownership of the Rams’ former practice facility in Earth City.