Franklin County (Ohio) Commons Plea Judge Bill Sperlazza granted a temporary restraining order to stop the state from using unclaimed funds for the Cleveland Browns’ new Brook Park stadium.
According to Cleveland.com, the block could result in a changing construction timeline for the new stadium.
Over the summer, Ohio legislators found $600 million in unclaimed funds — small sums left behind from residents' dormant bank accounts and uncashed checks and unclaimed utility security deposits. Currently, there's a 10-year time limit before that money reverts to the state, and Ohio has $4.8 billion in unclaimed funds total.
Related: Ohio Governor Approves $600M in Unclaimed Funds for New Cleveland Browns Stadium
Governor DeWine intended to use that $600 million as the state’s contribution to the $2.4 billion domed stadium. His camp touted the budgeting move as a win for taxpayers in the state.
In temporarily blocking the state’s use of the unclaimed funds, Sperlazza said during an emergency hearing in December that if he “hypothetically had money in the unclaimed fund that [he] would no longer be able to claim it because my money’s gone into concrete or pipes or whatever it might have gone to that stadium... that is a taking from somebody down the line, ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ so to speak.”
Originally, the Ohio treasurer’s office was scheduled to transfer $1.7 billion on Jan. 1 from the unclaimed funds account to a grant program, of which the Browns were to receive $600 million.
The restraining order temporarily blocks that funds transfer until a court can ultimately decide whether to permanently block the use of unclaimed funds or allow it. According to Cleveland.com, it is likely that the Ohio Supreme Court would rule in favor of the governor and legislature.
The Browns’ expected to begin construction on the Brook Park stadium in 2026 and to compete in the new stadium in 2029. The lease on the team’s current stadium ends in 2028. Now, those timelines are uncertain.
