US Supreme Court declines Rams, NFL appeal regarding team's move from St. Louis

On Monday, the United States Supreme Court ruled it will not hear an appeal from Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the National Football League over a lawsuit launched regarding the team's relocation from St. Louis following the 2015 season.

As explained by Joel Currier of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the lawsuit that was filed 15 months after the team moved to the west coast will either go to trial in October 2021 or be settled out of court.

According to Law360, the lawsuit claims Kroenke did not follow league rules "that require the team to make a good-faith effort to stay in a city before relocating." Law360 also explained that the lawsuit could reveal information about how NFL owners can move franchises.

Owners across the four most-popular North American sports competitions routinely battle with cities over arena improvements and the construction of new venues. Several NFL teams moved to different cities over the past 25 years.

The Cleveland Browns uprooted to Baltimore and became the Ravens after the 1995 campaign. The San Diego Chargers moved to Los Angeles in 2016. The Oakland Raiders became the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic could postpone the team playing home games in that city this year and eliminate the scheduled season, entirely.

In August 2017, the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) reported the NFL claimed there was "no legitimate basis" for the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that St. Louis spent millions of dollars developing a plan that included the construction of a new stadium when Kroenke never intended on keeping the team in the city.