Commanders to pay $1.3 million to settle ticket lawsuit in Virginia

The Washington Commanders agreed to a $1.3 million settlement after failing to return season ticket deposits to fans under their previous owners, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said Tuesday.

“It was simply greed,” he told WTOP-FM.

Miyares’ office opened an investigation into the NFL franchise in April 2022 after fans reported that the Commanders unlawfully kept season ticket deposits that were supposed to be refundable.

The Commanders agreed to pay $600,000 to 475 fans affected by this practice. The franchise will also pay $700,000 in penalties, the attorney general said.

“Our investigation found that the Commanders’ prior ownership unlawfully retained security deposits for years after they should have been returned to consumers,” Miyares said in a statement. “I thank the team’s current ownership for cooperating with this investigation and for working toward rectifying the consumer harm we identified.”

The attorney general noted that the franchise’s current ownership group, led by Josh Harris, only inherited these issues from previous owner Dan Snyder.

“We are pleased that this settlement has been reached resolving issues that occurred under prior ownership,” a Commanders spokesperson said in a statement.

Under Snyder, the Commanders held onto more than $5 million from season ticket holders, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform said in 2016. 

Tuesday’s settlement is only the latest as Harris and the Commanders work to wash their hands of Snyder’s actions. The franchise reached similar agreements with the Maryland and District of Columbia governments in 2022 and 2023. 

“Rather than being transparent and upfront in their ticket sale practices, the Commanders unlawfully took advantage of their fan base, holding on to security deposits instead of returning them,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said last year when announcing the $625,000 settlement.

This article is based in part on wire service reports.