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David P. Samson (born February 26, 1968) is a former American sports executive. Samson was the president of the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball from 2002 until September 2017. He held the title of Executive Vice President with the Montreal Expos from 1999 to 2002, working in both cities under team owner and former stepfather Jeffrey Loria.

Career

Montreal Expos (1999–2002)

Samson was named executive vice president of the Montreal Expos in December 1999, shortly after his then-stepfather, Jeffrey Loria, purchased the ownership stake of Claude Brochu and became chairman, CEO and managing general partner on December 9.

The tenure of Loria and Samson in Montreal would be brief, however. Samson played a key role in negotiating the sale of the Expos and the subsequent purchase of the Florida Marlins in 2002. In a complex franchise swap that reshaped the landscape of baseball in three American and National League East Division cities, Loria sold the Expos to a Delaware partnership, Expos Baseball, LP. The partnership had been formed by a vote of the Major League Baseball owners so that Loria would be free to purchase the Marlins from John W. Henry, who needed to sell the South Florida Club in order to complete his purchase of the Boston Red Sox. The Expos would later be moved to Washington, D.C., by Major League Baseball.

RICO lawsuit following the sale of the Expos

In July 2002, Samson was one of several defendants named in a federal complaint filed in Miami under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The complaint was filed by 14 former minority partners of the Expos against Loria, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, MLB Chief Operating Officer Bob DuPuy, the commissioner's office, and Samson.

The case against Loria, Samson and MLB essentially ended on November 15, 2004, when a three-judge arbitration panel in New York ruled unanimously that there was no fraud or breach of fiduciary duties committed by Loria and Samson.

Subsequent ballpark-related lawsuit

South Florida businessman Norman Braman filed a lawsuit in January 2008 alleging that the deal between the Marlins and the county to fund the new stadium was an illegal use of taxpayer money that was intended to combat urban blight, and should have been subject to a public vote. All seven counts of the lawsuit were eventually dismissed, the last on November 21, 2008, by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jeri Beth Cohen.

Due to the nearly year-long delay caused by the Braman lawsuit, the original timeline for the construction of the stadium was delayed and the opening date was pushed back from the 2011 season to the 2012 season. The official groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 18, 2009, in front of 5,000 fans. The ballpark, and the newly rechristened Miami Marlins, hosted their first regular season game on April 4, 2012, against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Non-baseball appearances

• He was a contestant on Survivor: Cagayan, the 28th season of CBS reality show Survivor, where he was the first contestant voted out finishing in 18th place.
• He debuted in a full-length play "Not Ready for Primetime" as Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels in March 2014.

References

1. "Alleging fraud, former minority partners sue Selig, Loria". Sports Illustrated. July 17, 2002. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
2. "Arbitration Ruling Effectively Ends Loria Rico Suit". Sports Business Daily. November 16, 2004. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
3. "How Miami got a new stadium". Myfoxtampabay.com. October 13, 2011. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
5. "Ground broken for new Miami Ballpark". Florida.marlins.mlb.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
6. Axisa, Mike (January 9, 2014). "Report: Marlins president David Samson to compete on 'Survivor'". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
7. "New Theatre's scrappy 'Not Ready for Primetime' could use more laughs". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 31, 2014.

• 1968 births
• Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law alumni
• Jewish American baseball people
• Living people
• Major League Baseball team presidents
• Miami Marlins executives
• Sportspeople from the Bronx
• Baseball players from Milwaukee
• Tufts University alumni
• University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni
• Horace Mann School alumni
• 21st-century American Jews
• Jewish American sports executives and administrators
• 20th-century American sportsmen