Astros fans amend sign-stealing suit to include COVID-19 ticket refunds

The coronavirus pandemic has added to the Houston Astros' legal woes.

A group of Astros ticket holders who are suing the team over its sign-stealing scandal has amended the lawsuit to include complaints that the team hasn't refunded 2020 payments in the wake of Major League Baseball's COVID-19 stoppage, according to Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic.

The Astros are already refunding ticket payments for canceled games in April and May, so the new complaint seeks money for games in June and beyond.

Donald R. Rao is listed as the subclass' representative in the suit, which states that Rao bought four Astros season tickets for $12,533. The entire amended complaint could include thousands of individual fans.

"The Astros refuse to refund season ticket payments for the entire 2020 season in the face of the COVID-19 coronavirus," the amended complaint reads. "Adding insult to injury, Defendants continued to debit 2020 season-ticket holders' bank accounts and credit cards for season ticket payments with full knowledge that the full slate of Astros' 2020 home games would not be played in front of fans at Minute Maid Park. ...

"Yet, while Rome was burning, defendants continued to debit Plaintiff Rao’s and 2020 Season-Ticket Holder Subclass Members’ payment cards and bank accounts for season tickets, parking, promo packs, ticket printing services, and/or other goods and/or services purchased from the Astros. Continuing to take money from Plaintiff Rao and 2020 Season-Ticket Holder Subclass Members Defendants, in the wake of the pandemic and corresponding national economic crisis, is unlawful and frankly, downright immoral."

The original lawsuit against the Astros was filed in February, shortly after MLB's investigation revealed the team had illegally stolen signs in 2017. Lawyers for the team stated in March that fans had "no legal standing" to sue over the sign-stealing and repeated that in an official reply to the suit filed in court in April, according to Kaplan.

The Astros did not offer comment on the amended complaint, according to Kaplan.

The Astros are fighting multiple lawsuits in relation to the sign-stealing scandal, including one from daily fantasy players. Pitcher Mike Bolsinger also filed suit against both the team and owner Jim Crane, alleging that the cheating led to the end of his major-league career.