Trial over Los Angeles Angels name goes to jury

By Tori Richards

SANTA ANA, California (Reuters) – The question of whether
Major League Baseball’s Angels must promote a hometown link to
Anaheim and drop a lucrative association with nearby Los
Angeles went to a California jury on Wednesday.

At issue is whether Angels owner Arte Moreno had the right
to change the team’s name from the Anaheim Angels to the Los
Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a move that prompted amusement among
onlookers and a lawsuit by the Southern California city that is
home to Disneyland.

Moreno bought the franchise from Walt Disney Co. in 2005,
but a contract between the Angels and Anaheim that runs until
2029 stipulates that Anaheim must be mentioned in the name.
Moreno claims that his new name does just that, but Anaheim
says it is losing money and is the butt of jokes.

“It’s fun to make jokes about it, but it’s not fun for
Anaheim to hear the jokes,” attorney Andrew Guilford argued on
behalf of the city, which is suing for damages and to have the
name “Anaheim Angels” restored.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Robert Polos said jurors
could look at custom and usage of baseball teams over the past
130 years and at what Disney and the city intended when signing
a contract in 1996.

Disney General Counsel Sandy Litvack testified during the
course of the five-week trial that he never intended the
contract to include any other geographic location than Anaheim
and thought the whole notion of adding Los Angeles was “silly.”

Anaheim could lose $340.3 million in tourism revenue
through the life of the contract because its name has been
dropped from news accounts and souvenirs in favor of its rival
city 30 miles away, Guilford said.

Moreno’s attorney said his client was complying with the
lease, which gives him sole discretion over how to market the
team.