Miami-Dade County suing Marlins, Loria ownership over profit sharing

Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe A. Martinez told Doug Hanks of the Miami Herald that District 11 - the district Martinez has represented since 2000 - is suing the Miami Marlins and the former ownership group led by Jeffrey Loria in order to recover profit-sharing revenues.

News of the lawsuit comes two weeks after a report surfaced suggesting Loria was not expecting to share any of the $1.2 billion he and his ownership group received this offseason for selling the team to a group led by Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter.

The suit stems from a profit-sharing deal that Miami-Dade and the Marlins struck in 2009 that gave the county and Miami a share of profits that could potentially come from a future sale. The dispute is over a $50-million portion of the sale which Loria agreed to reserve to cover any claims for the new ownership group. County lawyers are accusing Loria and the Marlins of inflating expenses so there are no profits remaining for the city.

"The Loria Marlins clearly believe that their unsupported, self-serving, and fuzzy math is sufficient basis to deceive the public," the lawsuit reads, "but the Non-Relocation Agreement, the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and simple common sense require much more."

Emilio Gonzalez, Miami's city manager, also said the city plans to file its own lawsuit against Loria.

The county originally paid $500 million for the construction of Marlins Park, which opened in 2012 after ground was broken in 2009.