January 20, 2011 by mfbraun
Flyers eviction postponed, sale expected
Village officials are trying to get more than $900,000 in unpaid rent from the team that plays at the village-park district owned Alexian Field. As part of that quest, the village filed a lawsuit against Flyers parent company Schaumburg Professional Baseball LLC and has moved forward in eviction proceedings.
Today in court, an eviction hearing was postponed until Feb. 24 because Flyers officials say they are close to selling the team. If the team is sold, the village and others owed money by the team are more likely to get paid, according to village and team officials.
Flyers owner Rich Ehrenreich said a sale should be finalized in about a month, and because of that village officials agreed to postpone today’s hearing.
Village attorney Jack Siegel said village officials have met with the potential buyer, and are hoping a sale goes through.
“We’re hoping he closes the deal, we get paid and everyone’s happy,” Siegel said. “We’ve talked to the potential buyer so we know there is such a person out there.”
Another sale fell through last summer, and Ehrenreich has been in talks with potential buyers since then.
If a sale is not finalized by next month’s eviction hearing, Siegel said he plans to move forward to push the team out and settle on a final payment of the team’s unpaid rent, which dates back to 2007.
He also said he would then move forward with a separate lawsuit that seeks unpaid rent, along with other debts. That lawsuit isn’t scheduled for a hearing until May.
But village officials have repeatedly said they would prefer a sale over court proceedings because it would be more beneficial for the community to keep the Flyers at Alexian Field – where they’ve played since 1999.
kthayer@tribune.com
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