Judge Rules Against Father-Son Alleging ADA Violations at Wrigley Field | Columbus Ohio Dump Trucks

A federal judge has ruled against a father and son who alleged that the owners of the Chicago Cubs violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when they completed a $575-million-renovation of Wrigley Field. 

U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso, of the Northern District of Illinois, ruled June 21 that the Cubs had at least one more accessible seat than required by the ADA in the 109-year-old stadium. 

“Although Plaintiff’s situation is unfortunate, he fails to prove that the defendant violated the ADA,” Alonso wrote in his ruling. “Specifically, Plaintiff fails to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that defendant fails to have the required number of accessible seats and that the accessible seats are horizontally dispersed around the stadium.” 

Attorney David Cerda, who filed the suit on behalf of his son who has muscular dystrophy, plans to appeal the decision. He said in an email that his son "is very disappointed with the ruling." 

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2017, charged that the Cubs’ 1060 renovation project moved wheelchair seating to less appealing areas with poor visibility and which are far away from the field. 

Wrigley Field has a total of 39,510 seats. Of those, 225 seats are accessible, the Cubs report. As of 2010, ADA standards require a minimum of 209 accessible seats. 

Julian Green, a spokesperson for the Cubs, said they are pleased with the decision. 

 “We are grateful for the court's decision and its validation of our belief we followed accessibility guidelines throughout the 1060 Project,” he said in a statement. “The Friendly Confines today is more welcoming than ever to fans with accessibility needs and, as we showed during the trial, the Project 1060 renovation increased accessibility of the ballpark in accordance with the law and the ballpark’s designation as a National and City of Chicago landmark.” 

Another lawsuit alleging inadequate wheelchair seating and accessibility features at the renovated ballpark was filed in Chicago federal court in 2022 by the U.S. Attorney’s office. It not yet been resolved.

Annemarie Mannion is editor of ENR Midwest, which covers 11 states. She joined ENR in 2022 and reports from Chicago.