blacksaint

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr., AP Sports Writer
September 28, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) -- A New York Jets season-ticket holder filed a class-action lawsuit Friday against the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick for "deceiving customers."

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J., by Carl Mayer of Princeton Township, N.J., stems from the Patriots being caught illegally videotaping signals from Jets coaches in New England's 38-14 season-opening win Sept. 9.

"They violated the integrity of the game," Mayer's attorney, Bruce Afran, told The Associated Press. "This is a way of punishing Belichick and the Patriots."

Mayer is seeking more than $184 million in damages for Jets ticket holders.

Belichick was fined $500,000 by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and the team was fined $250,000 for violating a league rule that prohibits clubs from using a video camera on the sidelines for any purpose -- including recording signals relayed to opposing players on the field. New England also must forfeit a first-round draft pick next year if it makes the playoffs or a second- and third-rounder if it doesn't.

"They were deceiving customers," said the 48-year-old Mayer. "You can't deceive customers."

The lawsuit maintained that because other teams found illegal videotaping by the defendants, Jets ticket holders should be compensated for all games played in Giants Stadium between the Jets and Patriots since Belichick became head coach in 2000.

The two calculated that because customers paid $61.6 million to watch eight "fraudulent" games, they're entitled to triple that amount -- or $184.8 million -- in compensation under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act and the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.

"How many times have the Patriots done this? We find it hard to believe they did it just once," Mayer said. "We just want to get to the truth of the matter of what the Patriots did to the Jets. I think the ticket holders are genuinely concerned about it. This is a type of misrepresentation."

Patriots spokesman Stacey James declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Mayer and Afran, who consider themselves public interest lawyers, have been thorns in the side of New Jersey politicians for years, filing lawsuits and demanding investigations to advance their grievances. They are well known in the state but generally have had little success in their causes.

Both have lost bids for elected offices, and Mayer once served as a presidential campaign adviser to Ralph Nader.

Their demand in March for a probe of Gov. Jon S. Corzine's gifts to a former girlfriend was rejected by a federal prosecutor. In 2006, a judge vetoed their effort to block Corzine's appointment of Rep. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., to fill the governor's seat in the U.S. Senate.

They also failed to get a court to order a special election to replace Gov. James E. McGreevey when he resigned in 2004.

Now, they're taking on the Patriots.

Their latest lawsuit asserted that the secret videotaping violated the contractual "expectations and rights" of Jets ticket holders "to observe an honest match played in compliance with all laws and regulations."

The actions of Belichick and the Patriots violated federal and state racketeering laws, as well as the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and New Jersey Deceptive Business Practices Act, according to the lawsuit.

"Having been a lifelong Jets fan, as soon as I heard this, I was completely outraged," Mayer said. "The NFL just slapped them on the wrist. I'm a consumer lawyer, and this is consumer fraud."

Jets ticket holder sues Patriots and coach Belichick, seeks damages of more than $184 million - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

saint4life
(504)

MatthewT

I hope no judge gives this crap more than 30 seconds and throws out the case. What a freaking joke. And a lawyer brewed this up? What the hell is he, one of those 200 buck divorce type of lawyers?

MatthewT

Ok, I just read it again, a freaking consumer lawyer? What a joke. Is this the same dude that wins b.s. cases because someone did not put a warning label on fast food coffee that "It may be hot"? What a *****.

hagan714

first hot coffee, then the juice and now this. For the love of God socialize lawyers. They are killing this country. Health care will adjust itself if you socialize them. lol

saintfan

The lawyer responsible for this shouldn't be allowed to practice. Then again, if we held all lawyers to that standard there wouldn't be many of 'em left. LMAO

ScottyRo

I agree. The case should be thrown out and the lawyer that filed it and his firm should be sanctioned by the governing body.

Belichick deceived Jets fans? When did he ever promise them that he wouldn't cheat to win and do they really want to admit that they thought he wouldn't?

TheDeuce

Ha ha only in America, I love this country

LordOfEntropy

The good side of this is that this will most definitely get the Patriots' attention - the mere mention of a lawsuit will grab their attention and hold it. Although I don't think the lawsuit will go anywhere, the Patriots front office will think twice about cheating in such fashion again. I love it.

As far as I was concerned, they forfeited all three of those rings when this videotaping business came to light. Those rings are tainted.

andersen

Maybe we should start a class action suit against the Saints for broken hearts (promises)