Washington Commanders Can’t Keep DC’s Lawsuit in Federal Court

A District of Columbia lawsuit over the Washington Commanders football team’s handling of an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and verbal abuse must be litigated in DC Superior Court, a federal judge said.

The Commanders, along with owner Dan Snyder, removed the case from that court to the US District Court for the District of Columbia based on diversity jurisdiction. But the district isn’t a “citizen” for purposes of diversity jurisdiction, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan said, granting the motion to remand.

The Commanders claimed DC was merely a nominal party, and that the real plaintiffs were the consumers it ...