One of the business owners Hamilton County has sued to acquire land for the Bengals' new stadium wants eight times more for his property than the county thinks it is worth.
In a response filed in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, lawyers for the county said they offered representatives of Caruso Inc. $1.4 million for the produce company's land.
But lawyers for the county said Caruso representatives have asked for anywhere from $7 million to $12.3 million, depending on how fast the county wants to move.
''I think it's greed and people knowing we're getting close to the point where we might miss the deadline,'' Hamilton County Commissioner John Dowlin said of the gap between the county's offer and what the company wants.
But Caruso CEO Kevin Caruso has said he is not being greedy; he just wants what it takes to keep his family business operating. His lawyers argue the county sued the company to pressure Mr. Caruso to accept far less than what the property is worth.
In a reply to the county's attorneys filed Monday, attorney Bob Manley argues the county botched the legal process required to buy the land by failing to make the formal offer the law requires. He also blames the county for creating its own time crunch by waiting six months before it started negotiating with Caruso.
Part of the problem is that the county's offer is just for the land, not the business, said Matthew Fellerhoff, a lawyer working with Mr. Manley.
Caruso's lawyers say that instead of negotiating fairly, the county's lawyers sued to pressure Caruso into taking less.
But the county's lawyers argue they did everything right.
A judge is scheduled to rule on who is right at a hearing Tuesday. If the county does not have the stadium completed by August 2000 - the deadline Mr. Dowlin referred to - it could have to pay as much as $24 million in late fees to the Bengals.
The county has sued four property owners: Caruso; S&C Properties, which Mr. Manley also represents; the family that owns Caddy's Complex; and the owner of Flanagan's Landing.
Court documents filed by the county say the county offered S&C $1.1 million, but S&C wanted $1.5 million.
The county has budgeted $50 million for the land for the $400.3 million stadium complex. The stadium itself will sit roughly between Central Avenue and Elm Street with Pete Rose Way to the north and Mehring Way to the south.
