The Wrigleyville Rooftops' Lawsuit Against The Cubs Has Been Dismissed

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Oct 1, 2015 6:00PM

A rendering of the proposed sign in right field that has been a issue of contention between the Cubs and the rooftop club owners surrounding Wrigley Field. (Image provided by the Chicago Cubs)

The Cubs had a win off the field yesterday. On Wednesday a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit from two Sheffield Avenue businesses that didn't want the new Wrigley Field video scoreboard blocking their views of the team's home baseball games.

The Lakeview rooftop businesses, Skybox on Sheffield and Lakeview Baseball Club, accused the team of violating a decade-old agreement by placing a 2,250 square-foot videoboard above the right field, almost entirely blocking the views of the field they sell to spectators during game days, according to the Tribune.

That agreement stipulated that the Cubs would receive 17 percent of the rooftop businesses' annual revenue in exchange for keeping the views of the field clear. But the federal judge dismissed their lawsuit, saying the videoboard was allowed as part of a major "expansion" of Wrigley Field approved by the city government.

The judge already denied the rooftops' request to put a freeze on the scoreboard's construction earlier this year.
Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney said in a statement to the Tribune:

"We are very pleased with the court's decisive ruling today. Judge Kendall's opinion confirms the bleacher expansion does not violate our rooftop agreements, as we have maintained from the outset. We also appreciate that with this chapter closed, everyone's focus can continue to be on the field, where it belongs."

The decision could mean the end of the rooftop businesses that rely unobstructed views of the field.