July 27, 2012 by Charlie Eisenhood in News
Need to catch up on the AUDL lawsuit saga? Start here.
As the American Ultimate Disc League approaches its inaugural year playoffs, discussions between the front office and the Connecticut Constitution have restarted after a period of little to no contact between the parties.
The two sides are now at least talking about a settlement, but there is still a sizable gap between them. “We’re trying to get the whole thing done, in my opinion, too quickly,” said Bryan Ricci, owner of the Constitution. “There were some discussions, hinging on the fact that we could get everything agreed to, that we could play in the playoffs. That timetable is probably passed, not definitely, but probably.”
The league-imposed $20,000 fine on Connecticut is still not close to being paid or resolved. Ricci believes the league is responsible for covering the costs of the games the Constitution missed when they suspended their operations.
But there is reason for hope. Ricci said there is a way to get this resolved outside of court, but it will cost the league more than they paid the Philadelphia Spinners. “Our situation is different than the Philadelphia situation and we’ve already done some groundwork in the New York City area,” he said.
Although he would not specify, Ricci said his initial settlement price was “in the $50,000 area.” But he says he has come down from there.
“It’s a young league with potential,” he explained. “If we all try and look at the big picture here, I think what I’m asking for is very reasonable…It’s gonna cost me more money to run my team than for [Josh Moore, President of the AUDL,] to run the league.”
On the legal front, the only major development is that the Constitution’s lawyers filed for a change of jurisdiction from Michigan state courts into the Federal system.
