Build the Arena, and Lawsuits Will Come

The most valuable player in the competition to retain and recruit professional sports teams is the promise of a new arena — multi-million dollar projects that are often controversial, particularly when public funding is involved. The critical question is how to turn the promise into reality, and the answer sheds light on strategies that can be used to help move forward all types of major economic development projects.

The City of Sacramento and the Sacramento Kings NBA team experienced that a home court advantage does not guarantee victory in a highly publicized debate about financing, constructing and operating a new arena. The parties to the public-private partnership for the new $477 million stadium endured years of legal, regulatory and publicity battles before winning the final challenge in August. Meyers Nave attorney Amrit Kulkarni authored an article in the Daily Journal that describes Sacramento’s precedent-setting roadmap for overcoming every legal challenge to the arena.

Click here to read the article.