Wrigley rooftop owners sue Cubs over stadium renovations
The contentious relationship between the Chicago Cubs and owners of the rooftop bleachers that overlook Wrigley Field has finally resulted in a federal court case.
The rooftop operator of two buildings on N. Sheffield Ave. is suing the team and owner Tom Ricketts accusing them of “breaching the terms of its revenue-sharing contract, engaging in deceptive business practices and acting in violation of anti-trust laws.”
A 58-page lawsuit was filed on Tuesday and can be read in its entirity here. Here’s a portion of the allegations made by the plaintiffs, via the Chicago Tribune:
“Although the Rooftop License Agreement expressly permitted the Cubs to expand the Wrigley Field bleachers, under no circumstances were the Cubs permitted to erect windscreens or other barriers to obstruct the views from the Rooftop Business during the 20-year Agreement.”
The Cubs are currently renovating their historic ballpark, which they announced won’t be completed by opening day, and have plans to install signs and new electronic scoreboards that would block off the view from the rooftop bleachers. In 2004, five years before Rickets bought the team, a 20-year revenue-sharing contract was signed by the rooftop businesses and the organization.
The complaint elicited this response from Cubs attorney Andrew Kassof:
“The Cubs will vigorously contest this lawsuit and move forward confidently with the Wrigley Field expansion construction project, which is well underway. Wrigley Field’s expansion and renovation is in the best interest of the team, its fans, Major League Baseball and the city of Chicago.”
After the Ricketts family purchased three of the buildings that house rooftop bleachers during the baseball season last week, this is just going to get more messy.
From Big League Stew’s Mark Townsend:
As has been well documented, the Cubs have been in a battle with rooftop owners in recent years as it relates to Wrigley Field’s renovations and the additions of new signs and the two new scoreboards. Cubs ownership has been working to buy them out as a way to settle the feud while gaining more control of the money Cubs fans spend during the season.
The vibes for the ballcub on the North Side of Chicago haven’t been this positive in years. The additions of Jon Lester and Joe Maddon led first baseman Anthony Rizzo to proclaim that the Cubs were “going to win the NL Central.” Unfortunately it appears this case could hang over the fun for quite awhile.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
