Lawsuit seeks to stop Browns stadium funding

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A former Ohio attorney general has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the state’s contribution to build the Cleveland Browns a new stadium.

Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, through his law firm DannLaw, has filed a class action lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, seeking an injunction to prevent the state from using the Unclaimed Funds Account to fund a proposed new stadium for the NFL team.

Last week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the state’s two-year budget, which included $600 million for a new Browns stadium in the Cleveland suburbs, 18 miles south of Huntington Bank Stadium.

According to the Ohio Department of Commerce, the state has about $4.8 billion in its Unclaimed Funds Account, which is money from Ohioans’ inactive bank accounts, uncashed checks, and other sources that they may not know they have. The budget designates $1.7 billion of that money for the Ohio Cultural and Sports Facility, with the first part of that – the $600 million – being assigned to the football stadium. Watch a report on the state's unclaimed funds account in the video player above.

According to a press release, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of three Ohio residents and a class that includes “all individuals and entities whose funds are being held in the Ohio Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund as of June 30, 2025.”

The lawsuit alleges that the state is violating the U.S. and Ohio constitutions, including due process protections.

“The State of Ohio intends to steal over a billion dollars in private property from its citizens and pour it into the pockets of Jimmy Haslam, one of America’s richest men,” Jeffrey A. Crossman, lead counsel and former Ohio legislator, said in the press release. “Everyday Ohioans are rightfully outraged by this blatant abuse of power. The government can’t just take someone’s property and give it to someone else.”

The lawsuit accuses the Browns’ owners, the Haslam Sports Group, of seeking public funding “for their thoroughly private venture” to cover half of the new stadium’s construction cost.

In addition to an injunction, the lawsuit also states the plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial should there be any monetary or legal claims.

How to search for unclaimed funds

The Division of Unclaimed Funds recommends using this three-step process:

• Search for unclaimed funds and generate a claim form by accessing the new system at com.ohio.gov/UnclaimedFunds.
• Review and gather the required documentation.
• Submit the claim form and any documents by mail or upload them directly through the system.

Since being reinstated by the NFL in 1999, the Browns have won 141 games.

Read the full lawsuit in the document below.