By AP
PONTIAC, MI – A judge has temporarily blocked the sale of the Pontiac Silverdome.
Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Edward Sosnick is expected to decide Monday whether a $583,000 high bid submitted this week by an unnamed Canadian company was proper.
Silver Stallion Corp. asked Sosnick to nullify the auction sale. The group says their 2008 purchase agreement for $17 million should take precedent and alleges racial discrimination.
Pontiac officials said the Canadian company would take ownership of the 80,300-seat stadium and 127 surrounding acres within 45 days.
Pontiac has been spending $1.5 million a year to maintain the Silverdome, which was built in 1975 for $55.7 million. The city has been trying to sell the stadium since the Detroit Lions moved to Ford Field in downtown Detroit in 2002.