Verrill Secures SJC Victory for Boston Legacy FC in White Stadium Litigation

Verrill has secured a significant appellate victory for Boston Legacy FC in the litigation challenging the redevelopment of White Stadium in Boston’s Franklin Park. On August 19, 2026, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the Superior Court’s judgment in favor of Boston Legacy FC’s ownership group, the City of Boston, Boston Public Schools, and the other defendants, clearing a major legal hurdle and allowing the redevelopment project to move forward.

Verrill Partner Chris Tsouros has led the firm’s multidisciplinary representation of Boston Legacy FC throughout the White Stadium project. Working alongside Verrill Attorneys Lauren Galvin, Clayton Brite, Stacie Kosinski, Margaret Fitzgerald, Mary Petronio, and Julia Gaffney, as well as other Verrill professionals, the team has advised the club through project approvals, municipal permitting and entitlements, lease and stadium-use agreements, and the litigation that ultimately reached the Commonwealth’s highest court. The litigation work was conducted in collaboration with counsel for the City of Boston and the other defendants.

The plaintiffs argued, among other claims, that the stadium parcel was protected under Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution and that redevelopment could not proceed without approval by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature. The SJC rejected that argument, concluding that legislative action in 1947 and 1950 had removed the parcel from its former parkland designation and established White Stadium and the surrounding parcel as a school department facility decades before Article 97 was ratified. The Court also held that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge alleged violations of the George Robert White Fund.

The decision affirms the defendants’ earlier trial court victory and represents the latest milestone in Verrill’s multi-year work helping Boston Legacy FC advance one of the region’s most consequential public-private sports development projects. The revitalized White Stadium is planned to serve Boston Public Schools student-athletes, community programming, and Boston Legacy FC, Boston’s National Women’s Soccer League franchise.

“We are proud to have helped Boston Legacy FC navigate the complex real estate, municipal, development, and litigation issues involved in bringing this transformative project forward,” said Tsouros. “The SJC’s decision provides important clarity and allows the club, the City, and their project partners to continue working toward a revitalized White Stadium that will serve students, the community, and professional women’s soccer.”