Court Sides With Eagles Coach In NJ Real Estate Dispute

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and his wife did not violate a contract in refusing to close on a Burlington County home sale, a Superior Court judge ruled last month.

Judge Erik Fikry ruled in favor of Sirianni and his wife Brett in the breach of contract court case on Jan. 6, court records show. The seller had sued them for breach of contract on a $2.3 million home on Allison Court.

Judge Fikry's ruling states that a seller has a duty to disclose a right of first refusal, or a buyer can terminate a contract. This decision possibly sets a legal precedent in New Jersey, per the Philadelphia Business Insider.

Court records show the Siriannis entered a contract to buy the house in February 2021, shortly after Nick was recruited as the Eagles head coach.

A previous owner had included a right of first refusal in the home's deed, which the Siriannis said was not disclosed when they signed the contract. They found out about the right of refusal several weeks before they scheduled to close on the house, court records show.

The right of first refusal clause mandated any future agreements for the sale of the house must be offered to the owner's daughter, and then his son, for purchase under the same terms. If the owner's children declined, the sale would be offered to the family's trust, as Business Insider's Ryan Mulligan explained.

That right would remain with the property even if the Siriannis purchased it, as Mulligan reported. The Siriannis asked for the clause to be eliminated, and refused to close on the deal when the seller did not permanently remove the clause from the deed, Business Insider and the Courier-Post reported.

Another buyer bought the house for $350,000 less than the Siriannis had offered. The seller, operating as 711 Allison Court LLC, sued them for breach of contract, records show.

Court records show that Judge Fikry ruled that 711 Allison Court LLC must return a $100,000 deposit to the Siriannis and reimburse them for title search, survey, and mortgage application fees.

"The court finds that plaintiff’s inability to eliminate the (right of first refusal) following defendant’s request confirmed that plaintiff was unable to deliver title to the Property 'free and clear from all claims or rights of others' at closing, thereby relieving defendants of the obligation to close," he wrote.

An attorney for the LLC told the Courier-Post that he will appeal the decision.