Ex-arena official sues Devils GM Lamoriello over lost wages
A former Prudential Center executive has sued New Jersey Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello, claiming he jeopardized his livelihood by falsely accusing him of running the arena poorly.
Richard Krezwick, the former president of Devils Arena Entertainment, seeks $2.3 million in the lawsuit filed this week in federal court in New Jersey. The bulk of the amount is the wages Krezwick claims he lost when he was fired in August 2013, when the team and the Prudential Center were sold.
The suit alleges that Lamoriello resented Krezwick's hiring in 2009 because it scaled back the scope of Lamoriello's authority to hockey-related matters. It also alleges that Lamoriello laughed as Krezwick's replacement was introduced and when other team executives were fired a few weeks later.
Krezwick also claims he was offered a four-year contract to become chief executive of MetLife Stadium - the home of the NFL's New York Jets and Giants - at a base salary of $700,000. But he said he turned down the offer when then-Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek promised him a future multiyear contract.
The Devils declined to comment on the suit.
