Denver Nuggets superfan sues over banishment from games

DENVER (CN) — A superfan who has been religiously attending home games for the Denver Nuggets since 1992 sued Kroenke Sports & Entertainment in state court Monday after being banned from games this year.

Vicki Ray, 72, can count on her fingers how many times she missed a Nuggets game in the last 32 years: when her mother passed away and when she suffered a stroke two years ago. She has held the same season tickets since the Ball Arena reopened as the Pepsi Center in 1999, and earned the title “Fan of the Year” in 2016.

Affectionately called “the Sign Lady” and “the Candy Lady,” Ray had no reason to suspect she was in trouble, she says in her lawsuit, until she received a letter on Valentine’s Day revoking her coveted tickets and banning her from games for the rest of the season.

“This letter represents a unilateral and punitive action taken by defendant against plaintiff, a dedicated fan with a longstanding record of support and enthusiasm for the Denver Nuggets, evidenced by her consistent attendance and engagement at events over decades,” Ray says in the 9-page lawsuit.

The letter from Kroenke cites two violations of the NBA Fan Code of Conduct, which Ray says she had no opportunity to contest.

In her lawsuit, Ray theorizes her banishment was a money move, that Koenke decided to banish her on false pretenses to resell her season tickets at current market rate.

Ray’s attorney, Carl Snider of Baker Law in Greenwood Village, Colorado, declined to say how much her tickets cost her. Current season tickets range from $26 per game in the upper concourse up to $510 for courtside seats, roughly $20,000 for the season.

Being banned, Ray says in the lawsuit, took away “an important source of joy and community but has also subjected her to unwarranted scrutiny and speculation within the fan community and the public at large."

Citing breaches of contract and fair dealing, Ray asks for her case to be tried by a jury.

A friend of Ray’s set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for her attorney's fees.

Koenke's attorney Keirstin Beck said she hadn't seen the lawsuit and could not comment.

The case has been assigned to Second Judicial District Judge Martin Egelhoff, who was appointed by Bill Owens, the state's last Republican governor, in 1999.

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