So successful has the Ricketts Family been in their transformation of Wrigley Field that you probably barely even remember the ongoing rooftop fight that consumed so much of our attention for years in the early part of the renovation.
Of course, part of that is because the Ricketts Family has successfully purchased most of those rooftops, but the other part is because they won the dismissal of a court case brought by those rooftops that were hanging on and trying to fight the erection of outfield signage that blocked their views into Wrigley Field.
That dismissal came at the district court level nearly three years ago, and was ultimately upheld by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The rooftops then sought review in the U.S. Supreme Court, which today denied that application.
The two right field rooftops involved in the suit – Skybox on Sheffield and Lakeview Baseball Club – are now in a tough spot, as their views have been legally obstructed, and they have lost their last avenue for legal redress. Well, I shouldn’t say that, since there’s always some kind of additional angle if you’re litigious enough. Still, it might be time to sell, and we’ll see if that’s what ultimately happens.
The Court’s decision today is modestly notable beyond the Cubs, because it presented an opportunity to re-evaluate the existence/scope of baseball’s long-standing (and admittedly kinda bizarre) antitrust exemption. The Court declined to get into it.