A long-simmering legal and financial fight between Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the city of Inglewood is back in the headlines, escalating into a nearly $400 million lawsuit. And while his team look capable of ending the season with the Lombardi, the business side has pushed its way into the spotlight with recent events.

It all started with billboards. Inglewood approved the placement of digital advertising signs in and around SoFi Stadium, and Kroenke’s companies pushed back hard but ended up losing in court.

After losing that round, the dispute escalated significantly, with Kroenke now claiming the city owes nearly $400 million for money his group spent on roads, sewer systems, infrastructure upgrades, and ongoing police and fire protection tied to the stadium and surrounding development.

The friction has existed almost from the moment Kroenke decided to build SoFi Stadium. The project went up without public financing on a 300-acre stretch known as Hollywood Park, right in the heart of Inglewood. And it was something a lot bigger than a football stadium. It entailed office space, residential buildings, a theatre, and many more features.

Kroenke’s group has long argued that the investment brought jobs, modern infrastructure, and economic momentum to a city that had faced financial challenges for decades. Things escalated in April, when Inglewood approved a deal with WOW Media to install up to 60 digital billboards around Hollywood Park. Under the agreement, the city would share in the advertising revenue.

For Kroenke’s companies, that was a line crossed. They argued the deal violated a 2015 development agreement that barred billboards near the SoFi complex. They also claimed the city was cashing in on traffic and attention generated by their venues while cutting into the value of exclusive sponsorships tied to major events.

A judge ultimately rejected the attempt to block the WOW Media deal, ruling that the development agreement Kroenke relied on was invalid because it wasn’t properly enacted. In the latest filing responding to the city, Kroenke’s side reiterated its claim for the nearly $400 million.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk even floated a scenario where the Rams could, in theory, end up leaving the stadium, and possibly returning to St. Louis, if common ground can’t be found. Unless Kroenke is willing to sell SoFi to the Chargers or someone else, the team is going nowhere.

And after Kroenke’s recent lawsuit, the city of Inglewood gave the Rams owner a blunt response.

Inglewood’s blunt response to Stan Kroenke

In its response, City Hall made it clear to Kroenke that having billions in the bank doesn’t put you above the law.

City attorneys pushed back hard, arguing that the development agreement Kroenke is leaning on doesn’t hold legal weight. In their view, it can’t be used to limit what the city chooses to do with public land or how it generates revenue.

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The city’s position is that Kroenke is trying to stretch language from an old agreement to box Inglewood in and protect his private interests, even though those provisions don’t actually bind the city. In court filings, the city officials focused on the bigger picture.

Inglewood leaders see this less as a narrow legal dispute and more as a test of who ultimately sets the rules. In their view, Kroenke’s approach leans more on financial leverage than legal footing, an attempt to influence how the city governs itself.

Mayor James Butts and others have been consistent in stressing that Inglewood retains the right to decide how its public land is used and how money flows back into the city, including through billboard deals.

“Billionaires are not above the law,” the city said.

Kroenke, of course, is no stranger to confrontations with cities. His move of the Rams from St. Louis to Los Angeles in 2016 triggered years of litigation that eventually ended with a $790 million settlement. Whether this standoff with Inglewood follows a similar path is to be seen.