The Motown Sports Group lawsuit that closed in October 2025 was a breach-of-contract case brought by Mercury Public Affairs, LLC against Motown Sports Group Holdings, Inc. in New York County Supreme Court. Mercury’s motion for attorney fees went unopposed, and a money judgment was entered against the company on October 20, 2025. The case is one piece of a broader financial picture surrounding founder Kenneth Bardwell’s proposed $3 billion sports and entertainment complex in Romulus, Michigan.
What the Mercury Public Affairs Case Involved
Mercury Public Affairs, a public affairs and communications firm, filed suit on April 23, 2025. The matter was assigned to Judge Paul A. Goetz and docketed as a commercial contract dispute.1UniCourt. Mercury Public Affairs LLC vs MoTown Sports Group Holdings Inc
The litigation moved fast. Mercury’s counsel at Lippes Mathias LLP filed a motion for attorney fees on July 2, 2025, and the motion was fully submitted without opposition on July 18. Judge Goetz signed the short-form order on October 3, 2025, and the County Clerk entered the money judgment on October 20. The case is closed.1UniCourt. Mercury Public Affairs LLC vs MoTown Sports Group Holdings Inc
Court records available in the file do not specify the judgment amount. The unopposed posture and the default-style result are consistent with a defendant that did not mount a defense.
The Company and the Project Behind It
Motown Sports Group Holdings, Inc. is a privately held Delaware corporation founded in 2014. Bardwell serves as chairman and CEO.2Nasdaq. Motown Sports Group Holdings Inc Boosts Strategic Leadership The company is pursuing what Bardwell calls the Motown Sports Village, an estimated $3 billion sports, entertainment, and tourism development on roughly 452 acres near Detroit Metropolitan Airport, bounded by Wayne Road, Ecorse Road, Vining Road, and Wick Road.3JLL. JLL Is Hired to Arrange Financing for Motown Sports Village Motown Sports Group has announced a venue management partnership with ASM Global and engaged JLL Capital Markets as its exclusive financial intermediary.4JLL. Sports Entertainment Facility Adds to Detroit Revitalization
Romulus Rejected the Company’s Bond Request
Money has been the central problem. In late 2024 and early 2025, Bardwell’s team asked Romulus to issue $152 million in public bonds to support the development. The proposal included a 15-mill property tax increase and a 2% sales tax within a limited area around the site.5The Midwesterner. Romulus Rejects Huge Tax Hike for Sports Complex
Romulus’s law firm, Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone, took the plan apart. Its review identified:
- A constitutional problem: the proposed 2% sales tax would push the total past Michigan’s constitutionally capped 6% rate.
- Prohibited uses of bond proceeds, including $10 million in developer fees, $12.1 million in working capital, and $35.2 million for private land acquisition, none of which is permissible under Michigan law.
- Fiscal exposure: the $152 million bond would equal roughly six times the city’s annual budget and push Romulus past its 10% debt limit based on a $1.675 billion state equalized value.
- Revenue projections and timelines the attorneys called “highly aggressive,” with the bonds described as “very speculative.”
Romulus rejected the plan. Economic development director Kevin Krause said the city requires a capital stack that does not rely on taxpayer funds.5The Midwesterner. Romulus Rejects Huge Tax Hike for Sports Complex
Earlier Bardwell Projects That Never Broke Ground
Bardwell has been pitching Motown-branded sports complexes for more than two decades. None has been built.
A 2007 Romulus proposal collapsed after local politicians listed as participants publicly denied involvement. The developer had no land under contract and had made no formal submission to the city.6The Platinum Management. Revived Lofty Romulus Sports Entertainment Complex Vision Gets Conceptual Approval
In 2009, a predecessor entity led by Bardwell, Motown Technology and Sports Facility Inc., signed development agreements with Vandalia, Illinois, for a $300 million complex.7Leader-Union. Motown Project Dead The group failed to provide proof of financing by the October 2009 deadline and missed other terms. A $17,500 check Motown wrote to cover a city traffic study bounced; Bardwell’s group said it lacked proper signatures rather than funds.8Leader-Union. One Year Later Motown Is Silent
Vandalia’s city council referred all project documents to its attorney to explore prosecution for “deceptive practices.” No criminal charges were filed. On June 1, 2010, Bardwell notified the city the project was cancelled, citing the local economy and “study report findings,” and sent $17,600 to cover the traffic study and termination costs. Vandalia reported spending over $100,000 on the project, primarily on legal and consulting fees, and the mayor doubted the city would recover those costs.7Leader-Union. Motown Project Dead
Where the Romulus Project Stands Now
As of mid-2026, Romulus officials describe the Motown Sports Village as still in the conceptual stage, and the gap between the developer’s public statements and the city’s confirmed reality is wide.
On May 14, 2026, a local television report described the project as “set to transform Romulus into a youth sports hub.”9ClickOnDetroit. $3B Sports Complex Set to Transform Romulus Into Youth Sports Hub Within weeks, city officials pushed back. Building Official Jeff Kemp Jr. confirmed that no official site plan had been submitted. City Planner Carol Maise said the Planning Commission had only “approved the concept of that type of development,” not the project itself. Mayor Robert A. McCraight disputed a quote attributed to him that expressed support for the development and confirmed no official site plan had been reviewed or approved.10MLive. Proposed $3B Romulus Sports Village Remains Conceptual Officials Say
The land is owned by Ashley Capital, an industrial and warehouse developer. Bardwell has said a purchase agreement is in place, but city staff said they cannot confirm whether the transaction has closed. JLL’s initial task is to secure $40 million to $50 million in predevelopment and land financing, a small fraction of the announced $3 billion total. At a May 18, 2026, Planning Commission discussion, Vice Chair Daniel McAnally noted that the development team currently lacks the funding to move forward.10MLive. Proposed $3B Romulus Sports Village Remains Conceptual Officials Say Spectrum News reported that whether the project moves forward at all “remains uncertain.”11Spectrum News. Romulus Sports Complex Incoming