A Patriots fans' lawsuit to recover first-round draft pick of the New England Patriots has been halted by a judge before it could even proceed. A U.S. District Court Judge has decided to dismiss the case which was brought after the team missed the first-round draft pick following the deflategate scandal.
U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor discharged the lawsuit filed by the seven Patriot fans, who claimed that the National Football League made an "arbitrary and capricious" decision to repeal the pick, New York Daily News reported. The plaintiffs argued that the league lacks sufficient evidence that the Patriots intentionally deflated footballs during the AFC championship game in Jan. 2015.
"After reviewing the complaint, it appears highly unlikely that plaintiffs will succeed on the merits of any of their claims," Saylor wrote in his decision. The judge added, "The Court is denying plaintiffs' motion without the benefit of an evidentiary hearing or an opposition brief," Saylor wrote. "However, the federal courts are courts of limited resources, funded by the taxpayers, and it would not be a prudent expenditure of those resources to permit the motion to progress to the hearing stage."
According to the court filing, the patriot fans' lawsuit alleged the league infliction of emotional stress, negligence, common law fraud, and racketeering. The seven Patriots supporters filed the suit earlier this week to seek the return of Patriot's first-round draft pick. The suit named the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft as defendants. The Patriots fans motions for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order were also rejected, according to Boston Herald.
"We are facing a modern tyrant who has used his power in a most un-American way- to purposely, arbitrarily and capriciously hurt the New England Patriots for untoward and unfair reasons. Namely to appease jealous owners and fans of the other 31 teams who the patriots have spanked over the past 15 years," the lawyer for the plaintiffs wrote, WHDH reports.
The seven Patriots fans believed that the NFL violated the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act when it punished the team. With the judge's decision on the Patriots fans' lawsuit, they just have to accept that the team's draft couldn't be restored.
