Sponsor sues Future Legends, says it wrote bad check

WINDSOR — In another small blow to Future Legends Sports Complex, one of its sponsors is suing the organization, alleging it failed to pay for equipment it purchased last summer.

4 Rivers Equipment sued Future Legends last Friday, alleging the sports company issued a bad check for more than $36,000 worth of equipment that Future Legends purchased.

“Defendant issued a check dated July 15, 2024, to 4 Rivers in the amount of $36,191.30 for payment of such equipment. … On December 22, 2024, the check was returned to 4 Rivers because Wells Fargo Bank was unable to locate the account listed on defendant’s check.”

4 Rivers is the namesake for Future Legends’ collegiate stadium. According to the Future Legends website, 4 Rivers is the construction and maintenance partner for the sports complex. Last March, Future Legends named its collegiate stadium the “4 Rivers Equipment Stadium” as part of a multi-year naming rights agreement, according to a press release.

The lawsuit is small in comparison to the many lawsuits the complex has been facing for the last few years.  However, this is now the second lawsuit from one of the complex’s sponsors; another sponsor pulled out of its contract with Future Legends last year, due to irregularities, but did not sue.

Future Legends has been mired in lawsuits for the last couple of years for non-payment of work on the complex, which today is only partially complete. In all, companies sued for roughly $56 million in unpaid loans and work. One company, U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union, is still working to recoup $42 million in unpaid loans to that complex.

Early in Future Legends’ tenure, it sought partnerships and sponsorships from several local and national companies. 4 Rivers is the second sponsor to sue. The first, Growsecure Inc., formerly known as Layman Lewis, the former pickleball sponsor, complained to have its name removed from all digital advertising for the complex’s events. A Weld District Court judge granted that request temporarily while the court hearing ensues.

“Of great concern to Layman Lewis is Future Legends’ financial troubles,” the lawsuit stated. “As a financial group, sponsoring a financially inept complex diminishes Layman Lewis’ goodwill and reputation in the Windsor community.”

Although it did not file a lawsuit, operators of TightKnit Brewing Co., which is now located in Evans, reported it signed an agreement to be the complex’s exclusive craft brew vendor. One of TightKnit’s owners, Phil Jorgenson, would not state how much he paid for that sponsorship, but he pulled out of it before his two-year contract ended.

“I had heard too many stories, with all the lawsuits and everything that was starting to come out,” he said. “I ended it last year. We started in 2023, rolled into part of 2024, and it just wasn’t materializing.

“When they started having baseball games, all sudden they had all these other craft beers. We had a beer that we’d sell for $5 for a taproom, they were selling a can for $16. We told them, ‘You’re not going to sell it for that.’ … Here we are paying so much money to be a sponsor, and getting treated horribly,” Jorgenson said.

He said he eventually pulled out of his sponsorship, chalking it up to a bad experience.

4 Rivers is seeking three times the face amount of the check, or $108,593.90, as a remedy, plus the returned check fee, and interest and attorney fees. Future Legends has yet to respond to the lawsuit in court, and its owner, Jeff Katofsky did not return an email seeking comment. 

Katofsky reported in a recent bankruptcy court hearing that he had secured a $260 million loan which he should get by the end of February, which would help make his creditors whole, and be enough to finish the complex.

Cases cited

2025CV30082, 4 Rivers Equipment LLC v. Future Legends LLC, d/b/a Future Legends Sports Complex, filed Jan. 24, 2025 in Weld District Court.

24CV31141, GrowSecure, d/b/a Layman Lewis Financial Group LLC vs. Future Legends LLC filed Dec. 11, 2024, in Weld District Court.

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