Class Action Lawsuit Says ‘Raiding’ of Ohio Unclaimed Property Fund to Finance Cleveland Browns Stadium Is Unconstitutional

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A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed over the state of Ohio’s allegedly unconstitutional decision to finance a new, privately owned stadium for the Cleveland Browns by confiscating and liquidating private property held in the state’s unclaimed funds account (UFA).

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According to the 27-page lawsuit, which names as defendants Ohio’s director of commerce, the state’s treasurer and two other state officials, legislation authorized on June 30, 2025 will, for the first time, allow the state to confiscate and assume ownership of funds in the UFA beginning on January 1 of next year and going forward. The suit alleges that the intention to divert $600 million in unclaimed funds to help pay for the construction of a private NFL stadium outside of Cleveland infringes upon the constitutional rights of residents to whom the property legally belongs.

Per Ohio law, unclaimed property such as funds found in safe deposit boxes, unreturned deposits for utility services, dormant bank accounts and insurance proceeds, for example, must be turned over to the state after a set period to be held in trust for the rightful owners, the case explains.

The complaint says that prior to June 30, 2025, Ohio residents had no restrictions on their ability to recover property held in the UFA. However, pursuant to the statutory amendments ratified in June, a substantial portion of the funds in the UFA is set to automatically revert to the state on January 1, 2026, the filing shares.

“Ohioans must now ‘race the clock’ in an attempt to recover their property or the property they are entitled to as heirs of the original property owner, fundamentally altering the property rights of Ohioans and others with claims to property in the UFA,” the lawsuit charges.

The suit questions the decision to use public funding to help cover construction of the new stadium, a “thoroughly private venture” projected to cost more than $2 billion, and argues that the UFA is not property for the state to “use as it deems fit.” The unclaimed funds do not constitute “operating revenue” and cannot be appropriated as part of the state’s budget, the case contends.

Moreover, many Ohio residents are unaware of their impending property forfeiture because the state has not provided direct notice to property owners and has made “little to no effort” to reunite them with their unclaimed funds, the complaint asserts.

The state legislature’s decision has more to do with “political expediency and the influence of wealthy political donors”—such as Jimmy and Dee Haslam, the owners of the Cleveland Browns—than public policy and consumers’ constitutional rights, the filing claims.

The Cleveland Browns stadium lawsuit looks to represent all individuals and entities whose funds were being held in the Ohio unclaimed funds trust fund as of June 30, 2025.

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