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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Court Fight Over Cowboys’ Souvenir Sales

DALLAS (CN) - A sports memorabilia company claims in court that the concessions manager for Dallas Cowboys' stadium broke their contract and replaced it just before this year's football season began.

Carrollton-based CSD Sports Framing & Memorabilia sued Legends Hospitality and competing sports memorabilia firm All Pro Classics in Dallas County Court.

CSD claims that after 15 years of running on-site auctions of sports memorabilia for the Cowboys, it was abruptly fired on Aug. 21 - four days before the Cowboys' preseason home opener.

CSD accuses Legends of stringing it along for months, misrepresenting that CSD would continue to have rights for auctions at the stadium after its contract renewed for this season.

CSD claims that in November 2011, Doug Aydelott, director of merchandise for Cowboys Stadium and a Legends employee, said that Legends wanted to renew the contract for this season and, that he repeated the assertion as late as this August. Based on those assurances, CSD says, it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on merchandise to sell for this season. CSD also operated auctions at the stadium for college football games and concerts.

It says Legends knew long before Aug. 21 that it wanted to hire Hot Springs, Arkansas-based All Pro Classics to replace CSD, and that Aydelott said that this was "the Cowboys way."

"This admission by Legends, that it never intended to honor its agreement and promises despite affirming those promises just three days prior, was crushing to CSD as its relationship with the Dallas Cowboys was a fundamental part of its business," the complaint states.

Legends, formed in 2008, is a sports park concessions partnership formed by the Cowboys and New York Yankees. It manages operations at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington and the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

CSD, founded in 1996, CSD first sold autographed trading cards and expanded into running silent auctions for charities and pro sports teams in 2001, according to its website.

It seeks damages for breach of contract, promissory estoppel, fraud, negligent misrepresentation and tortious interference.

It is represented by Paul Genender with K&L Gates of Dallas.

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