Inglewood’s video billboards just secured a big legal victory.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that the city of Inglewood can, for now, continue its deal allowing WOW Media to run its digital billboards along the city’s major roads.
Last summer, companies tied to SoFi Stadium, Kia Forum and Intuit Dome sued to block the agreement, arguing that the city had violated competitive bidding rules and policies governing the use of public roads and sidewalks.
The stadiums, which run their own massive digital billboards on its properties, also claimed the city’s dealings with WOW breached their contracts with the city. Court records previously reviewed by The LA Local suggested the yearslong relationship between Mayor James Butts and SoFi Stadium owner Stan Kroenke was fraying.
At one point, Butts claimed the city’s SoFi Stadium development agreement was void.
The dispute also moved beyond the courts and onto the streets when stadiums launched a ballot initiative aimed at banning WOW’s billboards. WOW fired back with a pair of its own ballot initiatives aimed at stadium taxes and parking fees.
Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner rejected several claims brought by the stadiums, saying in a 25-page ruling that WOW’s agreement with the city adhered to rules governing the public right–of-way, the legal term for publicly accessible roads, sidewalks and other paths.
The judge also ruled that the city was not required to open a competitive bidding process for the agreement because WOW and its patented spiral video kiosks were uniquely positioned to fulfill the contract.
But Lipner said he did not have jurisdiction to rule on allegations by the Forum and Intuit Dome that the city breached their development contracts.
Butts told The LA Local that the court’s findings speak for themselves and touted the revenue the billboards bring the city. Inglewood has made as much as $7.4 million in billboard revenue in a year, according to budget documents.
WOW celebrated Lipner’s ruling in a statement to The LA Local, calling the stadiums’ court case and ballot initiative part of an “expensive misinformation campaign.”
“The court’s ruling makes clear that the city followed the law and acted in the best interests of its residents,” WOW CEO Scott Krantz said. “It has become abundantly clear that the stadium duopolists want complete control of every facet of Inglewood life.”
A spokesperson for Hollywood Park, the complex that includes SoFi Stadium, said it plans to appeal and that the case raised important questions.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision regarding the city’s long-term agreement with WOW and continue to believe that leasing public rights-of-way in this manner is inconsistent with state and municipal law,” the spokesperson wrote.
Beyond a possible appeal by the stadiums, Lipner wrote that the parts of the case he did not rule on will be transferred to another court department to be calendared for future proceedings.
