By Leonard Robinson
Job Creators Network, a business advocacy organization, filed suit against Major League Baseball on Monday for moving the All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to Georgia’s new voting law.
The suit alleges that MLB had no right to move the game from Atlanta to Denver and that doing so was an effort to target Atlanta small businesses, not lawmakers. The suit seeks to return the All-Star Game to Truist Park near Atlanta and reward $100 million to small business owners and $1 billion in punitive damages, According to Reuters.
Defendants in the suit include MLB player’s unions, Commissioner Rob Manfred, and Tony Clark, the union’s executive director. None of the defendants have replied to requests for comments from various media outlets.
“This was knee-jerk, hypocritical, and illegal reaction to misinformation about Georgia’s new voting law,” said Job Creators’ Network CEO Alfredo Ortiz.
MLB decided to move the game in April after Georgia passed its latest voting rights legislation after the 2020 election.
“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” said MLB in an earlier statement. “We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.”
Critics of Georgia’s law cite new ID requirements, limited drop boxes, and prohibitions against giving water in line as key reasons for opposition.
Job Creators Network was founded by Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcos and has more than 30 partners, including the National Restaurant Association, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, and the Georgia Association of Manufacturers. Numerous high-profile political and business leaders are counted among the group’s membership, such as former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Joseph Semprevivo, founder of Joseph’s Lite Cookies.
