MLB Facing $100 Million Lawsuit Over Decision To Move All-Star Game From Atlanta To Denver
(CBS4) -- A group advocating for small businesses has filed a $100 million lawsuit against Major League Baseball over the decision to move the All-Star Game from Truist Park in Atlanta to Coors Field in Denver.
The lawsuit filed by Job Creators Network demands the immediate return of the game to Atlanta, $100 million in damages to small businesses in Georgia and $1 billion in punitive damages.
"Thousands of hard-working ordinary men and women in the Atlanta area, many
reeling from the psychological trauma and economic havoc of the COVID-19 pandemic, relied on MLB's unqualified promise to hold the 2021 All-Star Game in Truist Park," the lawsuit states.
In its statement announcing the move, MLB said that the reason it had decided to remove the game from Georgia is because the new voting rules were signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp were too restrictive and in opposition to what the league stands for.
"Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box. In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game's unwavering support."
Democrats and voting rights groups have said that the Georgia law will "disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color."
"The [Election Integrity] Act had nothing to do with baseball. It had nothing to do with the All-Star Game," the lawsuit states. "It had nothing to do with the honest, hard-working men and women of Georgia."
The All-Star Game, also known as the Midsummer Classic, will be played at Coors Field on July 13 -- and is expected to be at full capacity.
The game in July will be the second All-Star Game to be hosted by the Rockies, following the 1998 event.
