The New York Giants, city rival Jets as well as the NFL are being sued by a fan for billions. The reason for the statement of claim is the fact that the teams play their home games – contrary to the team name – in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Munich/New York – Travelling to the “Big Apple” once and then also experiencing top-class sport in the city that never sleeps? Many a sports enthusiast’s heart swells.

It’s a shame, however, that in the case of two NFL teams from New York, the Giants and Jets, both play their games in East Rutherford, New Jersey, despite their respective team names.

At first glance, a misrepresentation, but immediately reason enough for a lawsuit? The answer is yes. As the sports news site “Sportico.com” reports, the Southern District of New York has received a lawsuit from an affected fan.

According to the report, Abdiell Suero of New York has sued the two teams, the league and the stadium for false advertising, fraudulent schemes and unlawful conspiracy.

Billion-dollar lawsuit filed against Giants and Jets

In a lawsuit drafted by attorney Evan Spencer, Suero hopes his case will eventually be recognised as a class action on behalf of similarly affected fans. These are allegedly “harmed” by the so-called “New York” teams playing their home games in the Garden State. Suero is seeking two billion dollars in damages and four billion dollars in fines.

The lawsuit goes on to say that “many NFL fans would not attend live Giants or Jets games if they were warned in advance that they were playing in the State of New Jersey.” Said fans are subjected to “expensive and time-consuming transportation costs” on the way from New York to New Jersey.

The round trip “takes an average of four hours or more on game day and involves very high costs, either by public transportation or by car.”

Tolls on bridges, tunnels, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway add up to more than $16, according to the report. It can cost $125 or more to ride in a carpool or taxi. A hefty sum for the enjoyment of the game – not even including ticket prices.

However, it doesn’t just stop at material damage for supporters of “Big Blue” and “Gang Green”.

Accusations of fan harassment against Giants and Jets

Even worse for Giants and Jets fans, he said, is that they are “insulted, ridiculed, harassed, tormented and bullied by NFL fans across the United States because the Giants and Jets belong to New York State and not their actual home state of New Jersey.”

This alleged “harassment” has contributed to fans suffering “mental and emotional harm, including depression, sadness and anxiety, as well as limited and damaged euphoria, self-esteem, sanctuary, entertainment, group belonging and family needs”, the lawsuit continues.

Further, the defendants allege that television viewers of Jets and Giants games are victims in that they are given a “false impression” about the true location of the teams. At the same time, the State of New York and the City of New York would lose countless tax dollars and jobs if the teams did not play in the “Empire State”.

But that is not all. The lawsuit draws comparisons far beyond the borders of New York State and accuses other NFL teams of having misleading locations in their team names.

More NFL teams with “cheating locations” listed in lawsuit

The Jets and Giants aren’t the only ones facing geographic chicanery, the complaint says. The Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington, the Washington football team plays in Landover, Maryland, and the San Francisco 49ers play in Santa Clara.

Suero sees the allocation of teams to larger markets as part of a broader conspiracy to “artificially inflate the revenue and value” of NFL franchises. This alleged conspiracy, the suit says, also fraudulently drives up the prices of tickets, fan merchandise and memorabilia.

Whether the lawsuit has any chance of success, however, is highly doubtful. According to the report, the most obvious defence of the defendants’ side is that the lawsuit does not describe an illegal act.

The defendants could argue that linking the name of a team to a neighbouring town neither violates the law nor misleads consumers. Companies have a great deal of discretion in America when it comes to naming.