Ex-Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria Reaches $4.2M Settlement over Stadium Dispute

Jeffrey Loria, the former owner of the Miami Marlins, has agreed to pay $4.2 million in a lawsuit settlement, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). 

Per that report, the payment of $3.637 million to Miami-Dade County and $563,000 to the city of Miami "stems from the $1.2 billion sale of the team in 2017 by Loria to Derek Jeter and his ownership group. In 2009, local government agreed to help pay for the ballpark in exchange for Loria's pledge to share profits if he later sold the team."

Per that agreement, Loria owed 5 percent of his net profits from the sale of the team, though he argued he had actually lost money because of taxes. Miami-Dade County called described that argument as "fuzzy math."

The 80-year-old Loria was not a popular figure with Marlins fans during his time as owner (2002-17). The team did win the World Series in 2003, but ahead of the 2006 season, it underwent a major cost-cutting fire sale, trading away key players from that title-winning team, including Paul Lo Duca, Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, Mike Lowell, Juan Pierre and Josh Beckett.

The Marlins had another huge sell-off in the 2012 season and the following offseason, trading away players like Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Heath Bell and Hanley Ramirez. Loria's Marlins had gone on a free-agent spending spree ahead of the 2012 campaign, hoping to generate buzz for their new ballpark that opened in 2012, only to blow it all up a year later. 

That didn't just enrage the fans. Then-Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton tweeted he was "pissed" after Reyes, Johnson and Buehrle were traded.

The 2003 season was the only season the Marlins reached the postseason under Loria.

The product on the field wasn't the only issue Marlins fans had with Loria. The former owner also required season-ticket holders to make three- or four-year written commitments, but when fans discovered many of the promises in the packages they purchased weren't being honored, they backed out of the agreements. 

So Loria sued them. Suffice to say, it's hard to imagine many Marlins fans are crying tears on behalf of Loria after he settled with Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami.