2014 NJ Lawsuit Could End In $3 Million Payday For Monmouth Park

• The New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NJTHA) of Monmouth Park Racetrack is hoping to win $3.4 million from the professional sports leagues from an issue that happened in 2014.
• This case has faced a handful of judges and each time the leagues have won.
• Monmouth Park wants the $3.4 million plus an extra $140 million in damages for the 28-days that they were restrained from opening a sportsbook at their venue.

TRENTON, N.J. – The saga continues in the court case involving events that happened in 2014 with the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NJTHA) from Monmouth Park and the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, and NCAA but the new year may see the case finally come to an end that could result in an over $3 million sum of money awarded to Monmouth Park.

From October 2014 until November 2014 the leagues came together to place a restraining order on Monmouth Park to stop the racetrack from opening a sportsbook after voters approved sports betting legalization in the Garden State.

The restraining order lasted only one month and the vote to make sportsbooks legal was repealed because PASPA was active at the time. This prohibited New Jersey from implementing legalized sportsbooks despite the vote because they could not legally bypass federal law.

What’s Being Asked By The NJTHA

The NJTHA is has been seeking $140 million in damages, stating that’s the amount of money they lost from being unable to offer sports betting to their patrons because of the leagues restraining order. However, the leagues believe that number to be a wildly exaggerated amount and many judges have agreed in favor of the leagues on this ever since.

Originally expecting backlash in 2014, the professional sports organizations came together and put $3.4 million away in a bond that would be awarded to Monmouth Park for any losses they may have incurred.

Monmouth Park is requesting this $3.4 million bond that courts could award them in the new year. On top of the bond that they’re going after first, they are again requesting the $140 million in damages from being unable to open a sportsbook in that time period they were stopped from doing so.

On December 3, Freda Wolfson, a U.S. District Judge said that she would set up a hearing in 2021 on an unknown date to go over the $3.4 million bond and whether or not the NJTHA is entitled to it for the 28 days that the restraining order was active.

As for the $140 million, the judge said she would not consider that as part of the case going before her as the request is outrageous.

What’s Next?

The leagues plan on doing their own research on how much Monmouth Park could have possibly lost in that 28- day period from 2014 as they find the amount of money they’re seeking to be preposterous and intend to fight it.

A court date for this battle is pending as it looks to be an entirely separate case from the bond issue that will be overseen by Wolfson. New Jersey legalized sports betting in 2018 when PASPA was overturned and the Monmouth Park Racetrack has been a major pillar in the sports wagering community of the Garden State over the last two years.

The racetrack stands to gain $3.4 million but any more than that is a bet they’ll likely lose to the leagues as they have on countless occasions since 2014 already.

News tags: Freda Wolfson | MLB | Monmouth Park | Monmouth Park Racetrack | NBA | New Jersey | New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association | NFL | NHL | NJTHA | PASPA