March 12, 2001

Jury selected in Raiders vs. NFL

(March 12, 2001) - A jury of eight men and four women was selected Monday in Superior Court in Los Angeles in the trial of the Oakland Raiders against the NFL and 15 NFL clubs.

The trial will begin Tuesday with attorney Joseph Alioto, Jr. making the opening statement for the Raiders and Allen Ruby, the NFL’s trial attorney, making the opening statement for the NFL.

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will be the first witness in the trial and will take the stand late Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.

The Raiders claim that the NFL in 1995 interfered with the team's opportunity to build a stadium at Hollywood Park, right outside Los Angeles. The Raiders also assert that they own the Los Angeles market and the NFL may not place a team there without paying the Raiders for doing so.

The NFL, however, says that the other NFL clubs worked hard to help - not hinder - the Raiders with their stadium proposal at Hollywood Park. The NFL also says that under NFL rules the right to place a team in Los Angeles, or any other city, is a collective right of all member clubs, not just the Raiders.

Under California law, a verdict requires a minimum three-quarters vote of the jury. The trial is expected to last 4-6 weeks.