"The ban has had a significant and detrimental impact on [Ray's] life," says a new complaint from attorneys for the 72-year-old Ray, who has decided to sue Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the holding company that owns the Nuggets, for taking away her season tickets and causing her emotional distress, financial losses and reputational harm.
"Beyond the immediate disappointment and emotional distress caused by being unjustly barred from supporting her favorite team, [Ray] has experienced a notable decline in her mental and physical health attributable to the stress and isolation resulting from this action," the complaint adds. "The ban has not only deprived [Ray] of an important source of joy and community but has also subjected her to unwarranted scrutiny and speculation within the fan community and the public at large."
Also known to many as the "Sign Lady," Ray has supported and cheered on the Nuggets for more than two decades as a season ticket holder. She made her mark in Section 130 of Ball Arena near the Nuggets' main entrance and tunnel where players, coaches and referees walk on to the court, often gifting them candy bags, holiday cards and notes with messages of encouragement. (A social media clip from the 2018-2019 season shows Nuggets head coach Michael Malone angrily storming back to the locker room after being ejected from a game but still managing to snag some candy from Ray on his way out.)
According to Ray, the Nuggets began issuing warnings to her early on in the 2023-2024 NBA season over her use of signs and interactions with the players and refs. She was reportedly told that she would no longer be allowed to enter Ball Arena early before tip-off, nor would she be allowed to stay in her seat after the game, when the players greet family members, friends and fans.
In February, Ray allegedly had two inappropriate interactions with an undisclosed player and ref in the span of a week, which ultimately led to her banishment. According to a GoFundMe campaign made by a friend, KSE accused her of hitting a player and grabbing a ref.
"We have made the difficult decision to revoke [Ray's] Season Ticket Membership," KSE told Westword last month. “We are saddened to take this action but have done so in accordance with league and venue guidelines."
According to KSE, Ray was told several times to stop bothering and communicating with Nuggets players and refs during games but continued even after repeated warnings.
“We are open and transparent with what is and is not acceptable behavior," the media giant said. "This fan repeatedly violated these terms.”
Photos and videos captured inside Ball Arena over the years show Vicki Ray having positive interactions with players and refs.
Westword
Who Gets the Seats Now?
In her complaint — filed Monday, April 22, in Denver District Court — Ray's attorneys claim that the Nuggets banned her from Ball Arena as a "pretext" to resell her tickets at a higher price, which they say "suggests a potential manipulation" of ticket availability and pricing."The true motive behind the ban is [KSE's] desire to resell her season tickets at a higher price, given the increasing demand for Denver Nuggets tickets," the complaint says.
KSE has confirmed to Westword that it is selling Ray's seats as regular single-game tickets, but it's unclear how much the tickets have been going for. Attempts to find them on Ticketmaster and resale apps have been unsuccessful.
In Ray's complaint, her lawyers claim that KSE didn't want to be limited anymore in how much they could raise her season ticket prices each year because of how long she had held the same seats.
"Upon information and belief, [KSE] either has already or would be able to resell [Ray's] seats for a significantly higher price than they would have had to have offered to [Ray]," it says. "This belief is supported by the timing of the ban and the lack of a legitimate basis for such action."
Ray's attorneys claim that she made "several attempts" to contact KSE and discuss the situation, but they either "outright refused or met with inadequate and dismissive responses, further evidencing the lack of substance behind the allegations and the unjust nature of the ban."
Once local media began covering what happened, KSE sent over a video that reportedly showed Ray in the act. Her lawyers watched it and argue there's nothing that proves an NBA and Ball Arena Code of Conduct violation took place.
According to the complaint, Ray entered into a "contractual relationship" with KSE wherein Ray was granted "the right" to attend all Nuggets home games for the season, subject to compliance with the NBA Fan Code of Conduct and other applicable policies made known to ticket holders before purchasing her seats.
"[KSE] has breached this contract by imposing a ban on [Ray]...based on unsubstantiated allegations of misconduct," the complaint says. "[Ray] is entitled to compensatory damages for the losses suffered as a result of [KSE's] breach of contract. These damages are to compensate [Ray] for the monetary value of the remaining games in the season for which she was unjustly banned, as well as for the consequential damages stemming from the emotional distress and the impact on [Ray's] mental and physical health."
Ray's lawyers say that the "repercussions of this baseless ban" placed on her by KSE have been "profound and far-reaching." She has allegedly suffered "considerable" emotional distress due to the stress and isolation the ban has caused, according to the complaint, and sought professional mental health services at one point and was losing weight as a result of everything.
In addition to compensatory damages, Ray's lawyers are seeking the revocation of her ban and the establishment of "clear, fair, and transparent processes for addressing alleged violations of conduct policies in the future." They are also seeking actual damages for the losses incurred as a result of KSE's "deceptive and unfair practices," including the value of the lost opportunity to attend Nuggets games, as well as punitive damages to "deter" KSE and others from doing this again in the future.
Neither Ray's attorneys, Tyler S. Gurnee and Carl Snider, of Baker Law Group in Greenwood Village, nor Ray or KSE responded to requests for comment.
