Lodi News-Sentinel

Rams settlement with St. Louis could be worth as much as $24 million

- — Nathan Fenno, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — One of the biggest disputes remaining from the Rams relocating to Los Angeles concluded Wednesday with an agreement to pay as much as $24 million to fans who purchased personal seat licenses during the franchise’s two decades in St. Louis.

The deal, first reported by the Los Angeles Times last month, resolves three class-action lawsuits that were consolidat­ed into one U.S. District Court case in St. Louis.

“This settlement provides a substantia­l benefit that matches the relief we sought in the lawsuit,” Kevin Green, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement.

The motion for preliminar­y approval Wednesday covers 46,000 PSLs first sold by FANS Inc., the ticketing agent for the Rams, and later by the franchise. The PSLs, which allowed the owner to purchase season tickets for Rams games at the Edward Jones Dome, ran through 2024.

The settlement refunds 30 percent of the PSL value since nine years remained on the original 30-year terms when NFL owners voted in January 2016 to approve the Rams returning to L.A. Payouts will range from $75 to $1,350 per claim depending on the PSL price tier.

If the claims exceed $24 million, each payout will be reduced on a prorated basis to stay under the cap.

The Rams also agreed to pay $7.2 million in fees for the plaintiffs’ attorneys, if approved by the court.

A Rams spokeswoma­n declined to comment.

The litigation, which started in February 2016, has been stayed since May to allow the parties to participat­e in two mediation sessions and reach the settlement.

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