Suit: Rangers, Hicks didn't pay $6.9 million

[February 02, 2010]  DALLAS (AP) -- An architectural firm and a construction company accused the Texas Rangers and owner Tom Hicks on Monday of failing to pay $6.9 million for more than three years' worth of work.

In a lawsuit filed in state district court in Dallas, RTKL Associates Inc. and Vratsinas Construction allege that they are owed the money for work on a proposed development adjacent to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

According to the lawsuit, RTKL, a Baltimore-based architectural firm, and Little Rock, Ark.-based Vratsinas provided significant services relating to the planning, design and construction of the proposed Glorypark development, yet were not paid. The project was put on hold by Hicks in 2008 for what he said was a lack of financing.

Some of the companies' work also was performed on the ballpark itself, according to the suit.

John Nassen, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said payments were made to his clients initially, but they became infrequent and eventually stopped altogether.

"In the end, the effort of many, many people was such that $6.9 million was invested by the plaintiff group and they were not paid," he said.

Nassen said the filing of the suit was unrelated to the Jan. 23 announcement of the pending sale of the Rangers by Hicks Sports Group to a group headed by Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg.

Rangers officials said the team would have no comment on the suit.

Hicks Sports Group issued a statement saying it couldn't comment on the suit because none of Hicks' entities had been served. However, the statement noted that another company named in the suit, Steiner & Associates of Columbus, Ohio, was the Glorypark developer.

Steiner & Associates filed suit against Hicks on Jan. 21 seeking to determine who has the rights to 45 acres of land tied to the stalled project.

[Associated Press]

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