Injunction halts $600 million transfer
Magistrate Jennifer D. Hunt of Franklin County Common Pleas Court issued a preliminary injunction blocking the state from accessing a large pool of dormant accounts and other unclaimed property to seed a Sports and Culture Facilities Fund, including a $600 million grant earmarked for the Browns’ proposed stadium. The ruling means the state cannot transfer those dollars or award them to the team until a pending lawsuit is resolved, extending an earlier order that had already delayed the money moving out of the unclaimed funds program.
Hunt called the injunction an “extraordinary remedy” but said the plaintiffs — Ohioans whose unclaimed funds are being held by the state — showed a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of their claims and would face imminent harm if the transfers proceeded. The decision effectively stalls a financing scheme that state lawmakers tucked into last year’s two‑year budget, overhauling how Ohio manages billions in unclaimed property.
Lawsuit argues constitutional violations
The lawsuit, a class action backed by former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and former state Rep. Jeffrey Crossman, argues that diverting unclaimed funds into stadium and arena projects violates the Ohio Constitution’s protections against taking private property without due process or proper public use. Plaintiffs also contend the budget language failed to provide adequate notice to account holders whose money the state planned to repurpose, and say the new time limits on claims unlawfully strip Ohioans of their right to reclaim their assets.
In her written decision, Hunt agreed that key questions about public use and notice are likely to be decided in the plaintiffs’ favor, pointing in particular to the planned Brook Park stadium district, which would include private retail, office, hotel and residential development alongside the team’s new home. She wrote that neither the state nor any public entity would own or occupy large parts of the mixed‑use project, undermining the state’s argument that the taking of unclaimed funds satisfies the constitutional requirement that such takings be for a public use.
Unclaimed funds program at center of fight
At issue is a massive reservoir of unclaimed property — money from forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance payouts, utility deposits and other dormant holdings — that Ohio currently safeguards until owners or heirs come forward. Lawmakers and Gov. Mike DeWine used the last biennial budget to authorize the transfer of roughly $1 billion from that pool to a new Sports and Cultural Facilities Performance Fund, with $600 million set aside for the Browns and hundreds of millions more available to other professional and amateur sports operations statewide.
Supporters framed the plan as a way to leverage idle money for big‑ticket projects, arguing that a new Browns stadium and other upgrades would generate jobs, tax revenue and long‑term economic development. Critics counter that the funds remain the property of individual Ohioans until claimed and should not be used to subsidize private sports franchises, especially when the state is imposing new deadlines that will eventually bar some people from ever recovering what they are owed.
Stadium project moves ahead — for now
Despite the legal setback, site work at the Brook Park location has already begun, with excavation and early infrastructure work underway on what has been billed as a transformative stadium and mixed‑use development near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The team has said it intends to open the domed facility in 2029 and relocate from its current lakefront home, a move that would reshape both the airport corridor and Cleveland’s downtown waterfront.
In a statement, a spokesman for Haslam Sports Group, the Browns’ ownership entity, acknowledged the ruling but struck an optimistic tone, saying the team “understood this temporary outcome was a possibility” and remains “undeterred and on schedule in delivering this transformative stadium and economic development project for our region and the state as the legal process continues to play out.” The Browns have not detailed how they would replace the $600 million if the unclaimed‑funds plan is ultimately struck down, but the overall financing blueprint has also included team contributions and local support.sports.
What comes next
The magistrate’s decision is not the final word in the case. A Common Pleas judge must still review and decide whether to adopt Hunt’s findings, and the state can appeal any adverse ruling to higher courts. Separate federal litigation challenging the same budget provisions is also moving ahead, raising the possibility of overlapping—and potentially conflicting—decisions in state and federal court.
For now, the injunction ensures that Ohio’s plan to tap unclaimed funds for stadium construction is frozen, leaving the Browns’ funding package in flux and intensifying a broader debate over who should pay for professional sports facilities. The ruling also sends a clear message beyond football: any attempt to repurpose Ohioans’ unclaimed property for big‑ticket projects will face close scrutiny from the courts.