Judge extends injunction preventing MLB from forcing Orioles to pay Nationals higher payments

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Baltimore Orioles earned a victory in court in their dispute with the Washington Nationals over annual broadcast payments.

A New York Supreme Court judge on Monday granted an extension in the injunction preventing Major League Baseball from forcing the Orioles to pay the Nationals higher payments from their joint ownership in the network that televises the teams’ games.

The Orioles own a controlling stake in MASN, which broadcasts Nationals games as a result of an agreement when the team moved from Montreal to Washington. The Nationals want higher annual rights payments, and the network isn’t willing to pay the desired amount.

On June 30, an MLB arbitration panel ruled the Orioles owed the Nationals an additional $20 million annually. The Orioles have questioned whether the panel was impartial and want the case decided in the courts. The injunction prevents the imposition of additional payment until the issue is resolved.