GASTONIA, N.C. — The City of Gastonia can continue legal action against the owner of the Gastonia Honey Hunters, NC Gas House Gang, LLC. A Maryland bankruptcy judge ruled Tuesday in favor of the city.
NC Gas House Gang, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month, after the city sued the ownership group, hoping to kick them out of Caromont Health Park.
A Gaston County baseball team with a long trail of financial issues has been kicked out of its league and is facing a lawsuit from the city it plays in for millions of dollars of unpaid debt.
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) has chosen to terminate the Gastonia Honey Hunters and NC Gas House Gang, LLC, the company that owns the team, from the league, officials confirmed to WCNC Charlotte on Wednesday. The league still plans to field a team in Gastonia in 2024.
The Honey Hunters and its ownership team are also facing a lawsuit from the city of Gastonia for allegedly breaching a contract between the two sides and failing to pay millions of dollars of owed money.
Gastonia officials say a letter was sent to the Honey Hunters in August warning the team that they were in violation of ALPB guidelines, according to the lawsuit. Another letter was sent to the Honey Hunters in September about a defaulted loan owed to the ALPB. The lawsuit estimates the Honey Hunters owe the ALPB $1.1 million on the loan.
With the Honey Hunters now kicked out of the ALPB, the city of Gastonia believed the Honey Hunters showed no incentive to meet requirements set by a joint agreement between the team and the city. One of the stipulations of the agreement concerned maintaining CaroMont Health Park, which is owned by Gastonia but leased by the Honey Hunters.
The city claims in the lawsuit that the team failed to address stadium issues relating to plumbing, kitchen cooking equipment, and cleanliness. The excessive issues threaten the stadium's life expectancy, the city claims in the lawsuit.
Because of these issues, the city of Gastonia is looking to void the agreement between the two entities and force the Honey Hunters to leave CaroMont Health Park.
The Honey Hunters chose not to comment on the ongoing litigation but have confirmed they have hired an attorney to handle the matter.
Honey Hunters owners made headlines earlier this year when it was learned that the team owed roughly $22,000 to Gaston Emergency Medical Services (GEMS) and was late on several other payments to the county.
Despite the financial issues, the Honey Hunters still put up a winning product on the field. Gastonia finished second in the ALPB South Division standings with a 79-47 record before winning the ALPB South Division Series three games to two over the High Point Rockers before falling in five games to the Lancaster Barnstormers in the ALPB Championship Series.