Foxborough files counterclaim in Kraft Group lawsuit over Gillette Stadium license costs

Foxborough filed an answer and counterclaim July 7 in Norfolk County Superior Court, responding to a lawsuit by Kraft Sports & Entertainment and related Gillette Stadium operators over the stadium’s 2026 entertainment license.

The town says it acted lawfully when it imposed license conditions tied to public health and safety. Foxborough says major stadium events require public-safety and other municipal services, and that those costs are supported by longstanding contractual obligations.

What the lawsuit disputes

The Kraft plaintiffs sued in June, arguing that Massachusetts law limits the annual entertainment-license fee to $100. They allege Foxborough made renewal conditional on payment of a $953,640 invoice and sought nearly $1 million in new administrative charges.

Foxborough’s counterclaim says the plaintiffs have conflated the license fee with separate financial obligations under the 2000 stadium land lease. The town asks the court to dismiss the lawsuit, affirm the validity of the license and its conditions, and recognize the Select Board’s licensing authority. If the court rules against Foxborough, the town alternatively asks that the license be voided and the matter returned to the Select Board.

The case could determine whether the town may require the stadium operator to cover event-related public-safety and municipal-service costs through license conditions, or whether those costs could fall on Foxborough and its taxpayers. The court had not issued a ruling or other substantive disposition in the records reported through Aug. 10, 2026, and no hearing date was identified.