GASTONIA, N.C. — The city of Gastonia threw out an effort by the owner of the Honey Hunters to get back into the stadium the baseball team played in.
Honey Hunters ownership, NC Gas House Gang LLC, filed a motion this week saying they could generate more than $100,000 in revenue by November if they're allowed to host events in the park outside of baseball games.
The city sued the team owners saying the group failed to pay millions of dollars it owned to the city. Team owners have since countersued the city and filed for bankruptcy.
The countersuit, filed on Jan. 22, claims the city worked with the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball to take the team "through coercive and predatory behavior." Such alleged actions included the city seizing the company's lease interest in CaroMont Health Park and physically changing the locks at the stadium.
Issues with the Honey Hunters first came to light in July 2023, when both city and Gaston County officials confirmed the team owed thousands of dollars for services ranging from having paramedics working at the ballpark to hiring off-duty police officers for security. The team did make progress on repayments through the summer, which included repayment plans to entities like Gaston Emergency Medical Services.
Another turn of events happened in December 2023, when NC Gas House Gang filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in Maryland court. The team's balance sheet showed the company was in the red by almost $4 million, and court filings showed the company did not file federal tax returns in 2021 or 2022.
The financial issues saw the team kicked out of the ALPB, although the league has said it intends to field a Gastonia-based team again in 2024.