The U.S. Attorney’s Office on Thursday filed an Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit against the Cubs in federal Illinois court. It accuses the team of discriminating against fans with disabilities, especially those in need of wheelchairs.
Per a report from Yahoo! Sports, the Department of Justice's suit is based off a three-year review of Wrigley Field's ADA compliance following the completion the 1060 Project (so named for the park's address at 1060 West Addison Street). The suit concedes that renovations "significantly enhanced the gameday experience for many fans," but made sacrifices to the viewing experience of fans with disabilities.
The suit alleges that the Cubs removed “the best wheelchair seating in the stadium” and failed to add such seating to new premium clubs and group seating areas. It also claimed wheelchair seats were placed "in the segregated, unsuitable Batter’s Eye area” and generally had subpar sight lines.
The suit even alleges that the Cubs had only two wheelchair seats in the press box, where there should be four.
The alleged shortcomings at Wrigley Field would all be in direct violation of ADA accessibility guidelines, which mandate 200 general admission seats “dispersed vertically and horizontally through the stadium.”
Luxury boxes, club boxes and suites must have wheelchair seating, and all fans with disabilities must have similar sight lines to those in general admission seats (including being able to see over the heads or between the shoulders of fans seated in front of them).
Moreover, fans with disabilities can not be isolated from other fans.
Per Yahoo! Sports, the Cubs have denied the allegations made against them in the DOJ suit. They claim they “greatly increased accessibility” and raised accessible seating by over 50 percent in locations throughout the stadium. The Cubs also claimed to have added elevators, expanded accessible restroom facilities and adopted assistive listening technology.
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The Cubs made no mention of accessibility in an overview of the 1060 Project, which include "enhancements to premium seating areas," the addition of four new ticketed premier clubs and improvements and expansion to the park's suite level.
"The improvements to Wrigley Field will preserve the ballpark for generations to come by ensuring the park remains a friendly, enjoyable place to watch the Cubs," the overview reads. "The project will maintain the historic and unique features that make Wrigley Field special. The Cubs are earnest about their responsibility to restore and improve Wrigley Field for the next generation of baseball fans."