The next chapter in the saga involving the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals and regional sports network MASN played out in an appeals court in New York on Tuesday with $100 million in media rights fees in escrow up in the air.
The arguments heard in New York’s Court of Appeals stem from arbitration over rights fees paid to the Nationals by MASN from 2012-16. The Orioles and Nationals co-own the network, but Baltimore are majority owners.
The Orioles have appealed a 2019 ruling by an arbitration panel of three MLB executives. The team wants the appeals court to determine whether the forum of arbitration used has been unfair. If the court finds that it was unfair, the Orioles are seeking another round of arbitration using a different, unbiased forum.
A ruling from the court is expected sometime next month. If the court finds in favor of the Orioles, the dispute will go back to arbitration. If the Nationals win, Baltimore could try to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the case is likely to be heard. If the panel of judges splits, the dispute will be reheard.
