Rooftop bar owners argue Chicago Cubs' signs would kill business
By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - Owners of rooftop venues with views into Chicago's historic Wrigley Field asked a federal judge on Monday to block the Chicago Cubs baseball team from putting up signs over right field, saying they would block views and destroy their businesses. The businesses sell tickets to eat, drink and watch the ballgame to fans on top of residential buildings outside the 101-year-old ballpark. They have permission under a 2004 contract which requires them to pay the Cubs 17 percent of their revenue. The contract was made under a former owner, and the current owner, the wealthy Ricketts family, plans $375 million in renovations to the ballpark, including new signs and rebuilt bleachers. Two rooftop owners sued, claiming a planned video board and another sign in right field would violate the contract and pose an antitrust violation. "We're out of business without this view," said Tom Lombardo, an attorney for the businesses, in a hearing before U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall. The businesses are Skybox on Sheffield and Lakeview Baseball Club. Lombardo said Cubs management is intentionally trying to destroy the rooftops' business by buying them out - it has an interest in at least five of 16 businesses - and blocking views. But the Cubs said the contract does not stop the team from expanding the ballpark as long as it has government approval. "The parties' contract did not change the fact defendants own Wrigley Field, and as owners have the absolute right to use the property as they choose," attorneys for the team argued in legal documents. The rooftop owners have asked for a preliminary injunction to stop the signs before opening day at Wrigley on April 5. Building owners have been charging admission to watch games from the roofs and upper-story windows since at least the 1930s, Lombardo noted. This evolved from folding chairs to the construction of actual bleachers, and fans paying up to $300 a seat in the early 2000s, according to the Cubs. The Cubs sued for copyright infringement, resulting in the contract. Famous for its ivy-covered outfield walls and urban location where home run balls sometimes drop onto a residential street, Wrigley Field is a top tourist attraction and has been declared a city landmark. The Ricketts family said the improvements are needed to stay competitive. The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908 - the longest championship drought in Major League Baseball. The case is In re: Right Field Rooftops LLC et al v. Chicago Baseball Holdings LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, No. 15-00551. (Editing by Matthew Lewis)
