Litigation has emerged among the members of the Spanos family regarding whether the Chargers should be sold. In a new court filing seeking to have the matter shifted to a different California county, a significant revelation is made.
At footnote 3 of the memorandum in support of the motion to change the venue of the case, Dean Spanos points out that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell “has informed the co-trustees that it appears the dispute is one that must be resolved through the NFL’s internal dispute resolution mechanism because (a) it involves a dispute between two owners of a member club and (b) the relief sought would directly affect ownership of a member club.”
The current motion seeks to move the case from Los Angeles County to San Joaquin County. Without knowing more (or anything) about the dynamics of the two jurisdictions, here’s the simple reality: If Dean Spanos and other family members defending against their sister’s effort to force a sale thought they had a better chance of winning in L.A. County, Dean Spanos and family would not be trying to move the case to San Joaquin County.
Once the courts determine where the case should proceed, Dean Spanos likely will try to force the entire controversy into arbitration. And, again, if Dean Spanos and other family members defending against their sister’s effort to force a sale thought they had a better chance of winning in court, Dean Spanos and family would not be preparing to try to move the case to arbitration.
That effort is coming, eventually if not sooner.