COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio judge has temporarily halted the state from transferring as much as $1.7 to $1.9 billion in unclaimed funds to a new cultural and sports facilities grant program, blocking a move that included $600 million earmarked for a proposed Cleveland Browns stadium project.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Bill Sperlazza issued a Temporary Restraining Order on Dec. 23 that prevents state officials from moving any money out of the Ohio Unclaimed Funds Trust Account until Jan. 8, 2026, when a preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled.
The ruling pauses a transfer set to occur on Jan. 1, created under House Bill 96, which amended Ohio’s unclaimed‑funds law to deem all funds first reported to the state on or before Jan. 1, 2016, as “abandoned.” Those funds would then escheat to the state and be moved to the Ohio Cultural and Sports Facility Performance Grant Fund.
State filings estimate that the transfer would total between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, including a $600 million state contribution toward a new multi-use sports complex where the Browns would play.
Sperlazza found that the plaintiffs — two Ohioans with unclaimed funds — showed a substantial likelihood of success on their claim that the law violates the Takings Clause of the Ohio Constitution, citing a 2009 Ohio Supreme Court decision that held unclaimed funds “never become the property of the holder or the state.”
The judge also determined that transferring the money would cause irreparable harm, noting testimony that once the funds are moved, they cannot be returned to the unclaimed‑funds trust. He wrote that the transfer could leave the state financially responsible if future claims exceed the remaining balance.
Sperlazza concluded that temporarily blocking the transfer would not cause unjustifiable harm to third parties, including those expecting to benefit from the Browns stadium grant, and that the public interest favors protecting claimants’ property rights.
The order requires the plaintiffs to post a $50 bond and is not a final appealable ruling.