With just one week to go before the UFC White House card finally happens, a lawsuit looks to stop that from being the case.
In a press release acquired by MMA Fighting on Sunday, a lawsuit has been filed by Paul Romano, a retired Air Force Sergeant and Vietnam veteran, and Susan Douglas, a longtime civic activist and organizer, both of whom seek to “preserve Washington’s monumental spaces.”
The lawsuit describes UFC White House as “a corrupt scheme to hand the White House South Lawn and Lincoln Memorial to a private, for-profit sports promoter in violation of federal law.”
“The event, scheduled for June 14, was conceived by President Trump and organized by UFC CEO Dana White, a close personal ally of Trump, and will benefit both men financially,” writes Samuel T. Ward-Packard of the Public Integrity Project, the lead attorney on the case.
“Trump purchased up to $50,000 in UFC parent company TKO stock earlier this spring, while White’s company is selling VIP packages for $1.5 million each, and benefiting from what one TKO executive called “the greatest earned-marketing tool of all time.” Additionally, a weigh-in for fighters is scheduled for the night before, and is set to occur at the Lincoln Memorial.”
The complaint focuses on a trio of “unlawful” grounds. The first is a Violation of National Park Service agreements, which prohibit sporting events from taking place on federal parklands, and plaintiffs say does not fall under any acceptable regulatory exemption. The second is that “The Claw” — part of the staging setup for the event on the White House lawn — has no congressional authorization, a requirement for building on federal parklands. Lastly, the complaint argues about the potential cost to taxpayers for repairs of the South Lawn.
“The President arranged to hand two of America’s most cherished monuments to a private corporation so he and his allies could profit from them. That is corruption,” plaintiff Susan Douglas stated. “These monuments belong to all of us Americans, not to Dana White, not to advertisers like Crypto.com, and not to Donald Trump. We’re asking the court to enforce the law because the administration refuses to.”
Per the release, the plaintiffs are also in the process of filing for a temporary restraining order, which, if it’s granted, could actually stop the event while the court looks over the facts of the case.
Interdasting…
No way in the world it gets canceled
I mean how is it a corrupt scheme. Tickets were given away for free.
Event is broadcast on a for profit channel that’s behind a pay wall. Said streaming platform will profit gain subscribers and advertising revenue and generate worldwide buzz for said platform.
Everything results in a lawsuit
UFC fight planned for White House Front Lawn will offer $1.5 million VIP ticket prices
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani discussed the alleged offers on his podcast, claiming “high rollers” were being approached with premium packages carrying a $1.5 million price tag.
As per OK! Magazine, the package allegedly includes access to multiple UFC events, reserved seating, weigh-ins, receptions, concert access, and floor tickets connected to UFC 329. The event is also rumored to feature Conor McGregor’s return.
That actually holds. They are charging 1.5 million for tickets.
That actually makes it for profit.
Interesting case.
The free tickets are just for the poors who couldn’t afford the million dollar white house lawn vip viewing experience.
They’ll be somewhere across the street jam packed like sardines watching the fights on a 70 inch HCL tv.
They are charging 1.5 million for tickets fella.
1.5 Million per ticket.
Per ticket.
Purrrrrrrrrrr
Ticket
some tried to get 1.5 M for a ticket
Plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit filed late Saturday are attempting to halt the June 14 UFC Freedom 250 card on the South Lawn of the White House.
The suit, filed by the Public Integrity Project in District of Columbia federal court, alleges that the Department of Interior and the National Park Service violated federal law by organizing a private sporting event on public property and failing to obtain congressional approval for the event’s multiple construction sites. An emergency application for a preliminary injunction to stop the event was filed early Sunday morning in the same court.
The suit claims violations of park service regulations by allowing the event to occur, that the construction of the UFC’s claw stadium structure on the South Lawn needed congressional authorization because it is federal parkland, and that there was not an environmental review “before undertaking ‘major federal action’ significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.”
“We think that this is a profound misuse of our sacred national monuments for private gain,” said Brendan Ballou, the lead attorney for the Public Integrity Project. “And we think that needs to be stopped because it breaks the law.”
Ballou said he anticipates a ruling on the emergency injunction application this week. The Public Integrity Project describes itself as an anti-corruption law firm with offices in Washington.
A Trump administration official took umbrage with the suit in an emailed statement to ESPN on Sunday.
“This is an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory lawsuit brought simply to prevent President Trump from hosting what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most historic sporting events in our Nation’s history during our semiquincentennial celebration,” the statement read. “This iconic event is no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”
Messages seeking comment from the UFC, Department of Interior, National Park Service and Department of Justice were not immediately returned to ESPN.
The UFC scheduled its news conference for Friday night in front of the Lincoln Memorial, with weigh-ins Saturday at the Ellipse and fights Sunday at the White House, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
The suit mentions only events at the White House and Lincoln Memorial in its violation allegations. The suit mistakenly claims the weigh-in, rather than the news conference, will be at the Lincoln Memorial.
“Ultimately, we want to stop this fight, this weigh-in and the permanent installation of the quote-unquote claw,” Ballou said. “And I want to be clear, this is not an attack on MMA in the slightest. This is an attack on the corruption that is facilitating this event.”
In an interview with ESPN on Sunday morning, Ballou referenced three areas of financial concern: the reported $1.5 million sponsorship packages being sold for the event, the exclusive streaming deal with Paramount with the need to subscribe to Paramount+ for the fight, and any potential advertisements on the Octagon and at the Lincoln Memorial.
Ballou said the decision to file the suit came after reporting June 4 claimed the UFC was financing and organizing the event. UFC CEO Dana White told ESPN last month and has said multiple times that the event would cost up to $60 million and that his organization was paying for it.
The suit claims that the UFC card “does not satisfy the conditions for authorization” under a temporary rule allowing for special events in conjunction with the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations this year.
The suit claims the event is not occurring to celebrate America’s independence and is not being planned by the federal government. Instead, the suit claims, the event is being run by the UFC and is a celebration of the UFC and of Trump’s birthday instead of the country.
White told ESPN in May that the fights are to celebrate America’s birthday and that “from the first fight of the night to the main event, we’re going to tell the story of America.”
The suit claims that UFC Freedom 250 is not being run or organized by an “executive department or agency” other than the security and that “no official semiquincentennial commission is planning, organizing and executing the event either.” Therefore, the suit claims, it doesn’t meet the America 250 special event exemption. The suit also claims no special events are allowed at the Lincoln Memorial other than a ceremony honoring President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
Any involvement of Freedom 250, one of the two organizations vying for events surrounding the United States’ 250th anniversary, is unclear. Media reports conflict on the Freedom 250 group’s involvement despite the matching names. On the Freedom 250 website Sunday morning, the UFC Freedom 250 event was not listed in its offerings, which include the Great American State Fair and a FIFA World Cup fan zone on the National Mall, but the UFC is listed as one of its sponsors.
A message to America 250, another group authorizing semiquincentennial events, was not immediately returned to ESPN, but the organization’s website does not list the UFC card on its schedule of events, either.
Construction of the claw needed congressional approval, the suit claims, also saying it is destroying the South Lawn. The suit also claimed the South Lawn construction should have undergone an “environmental assessment,” according to federal law. It’s unclear whether any review took place.
Pete Dropick, the UFC’s executive vice president of event development and operations, told ESPN in May that lawn repairs would be “a significant cost” the UFC would pay, estimating that it could range from $700,000 to $1 million – all without digging into the White House dirt.
Between this lawsuit, the concern about the high temps & insects & the bad weather forecasts for the day of the event, Dana should just admit it was a shitty idea & move the card to the Apex
Having this card at the Apex of all places would be a travesty
I’d be more worried about it raining, which I heard is possible