The panel from the American Arbitration Association yesterday grilled opposing attorneys for the last time before it issues its opinion on parity between leases for the Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens. The parity clause was included in the Orioles lease specifically to prevent a National Football League team from obtaining special consideration during the city s search for a replacement for the Baltimore Colts. The Orioles have made 11 claims against the stadium authority. Among them are claims the Orioles were denied the right to sell the lucrative naming rights to the ballpark and disputes over payments for concessions and private suite build-outs. The Orioles have asked the panel to consider each of the 11 claims individually.
Rent abatements are a claim for damages in sheep s clothing.
This is a case about promises a case about a promise made by a government entity, Kendall said. The Maryland Stadium Authority, meanwhile, says parity can only be determined by looking at the deals in their totality. Selective picking and choosing can lead to absurd and illogical results, said Steven Barley, representing the stadium authority. The leases, he said, are not meant to be identical but fairly comparable. You heard no evidence they weren t comparable in totality.