The Arizona Diamondbacks have sued Maricopa County in an effort to break their long-term lease early. The Diamondbacks allege that the County failed to capital repairs and improvements to the stadium.
“It is extremely unfortunate that we have been forced to take action today following several years of attempts to resolve this matter out of court,” D-backs managing general partner Ken Kendrick said in a statement. “We have made a promise to our fans, who have been partners with us on the building of this stadium and our franchise, to provide the best experience in all of baseball in a safe and welcoming environment. The inability of the Maricopa County Stadium District to fulfill its commitments has left us with no other option.”
An assessment done by the Maricopa County Stadium District concluded that $185 million will be needed for repairs.
“The Arizona Diamondback claim that $135 million of that figure are capital repairs that the Stadium District is responsible for,” according to an article by Steve Gilbert. “The team has said in the past that it would take on those costs in exchange for a reduction of license fee payments and the ability to book the stadium for non-baseball use.”