Marlins Claim Corporate Citizenship in British Virgin Islands as Part of Lawsuit

The Miami Marlins may play their home games in the United States-based Marlins Park, but the organization is hoping a courtroom will allow it to claim citizenship elsewhere in order to take some weight off its shoulders.

According to Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald, the Marlins claimed citizenship in the British Virgin Islands in a court filing earlier this year . Here's what the franchise put in a court filing earlier this year:

"One of the members of Marlins Teamco is a corporation incorporated in the British Virgin Islands with its principal place of business in the British Virgin Islands. Accordingly, Marlins Teamco is a citizen of the British Virgin Islands."

Per Hanks, the team hopes to get a federally appointed arbitrator to handle the lawsuit by Miami-Dade County over Jeffrey Loria's sale of the team. If the Marlins are considered a company from outside the United States, it would make the dispute international and outside the jurisdiction of Miami-Dade County.                

Hanks tweeted a response from Miami-Dade County expressing its opposition to the claim.

Mike Hernandez of Mercury Public Affairs provided details of the suit:

The Marlins' stadium and parking garages are owned by the county and city of Miami, respectively. As a result, each qualify for a percentage of the team's profit from a sale. However, Loria reported no profit on the $1.2 billion sale of the team and said he in fact lost $140 million in the deal.

Since buying the franchise late last year, Derek Jeter and Co. have been involved in no shortage of controversies. Whether it be their fire sale of players, letting multiple employees go or a strained relationship with well-known season ticket holder Marlins Man, the new management has been making headlines left and right.

It's unclear if the Marlins' latest tactic will work. The team may believe it has found a loophole in the system, but the response of the county suggests they face a battle to win this part of the dispute.