FEDs settle with Chicago Cubs over alleged violations

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The Chicago Cubs have resolved alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at Wrigley Field, according to Justice Department officials.

“The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that sports venues like Wrigley Field be accessible to people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have full and equal access to public accommodations, including our ballparks,” Clarke added.

According to officials, both a settlement and a proposed consent decree has been reached with the Cubs.

“As a result of this settlement, baseball fans with physical disabilities will have vastly improved options at Wrigley Field — on par with those available to all other patrons,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois.

“The Chicago Cubs are to be commended for working collaboratively with our office to find solutions, demonstrating their commitment to providing accessibility for people with disabilities,” Pasqual added.

According to the Justice Department, a 2022 lawsuit against the Cubs claimed the organization’s renovation and reconstruction of Wrigley Field discriminated against individuals with disabilities.

Officials noted the Cubs baseball club’s multi-year undertaking known as “the 1060 Project” allegedly failed to provide wheelchair users with adequate sightlines as compared to standing patrons and failed to incorporate wheelchair seating into premium clubs and group seating areas.

Pursuant to the terms of the settlement, the Cubs will make numerous remediations to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities, including removing noncompliant wheelchair spaces and companion seats and replacing them with wheelchair spaces that have significantly improved views of the field and fully compliant sightlines.

According to officials, the remediations will take place in every area of the stadium, including but not limited to incorporating wheelchair spaces and companion seats into premium club areas at the front of the grandstand.

Officials noted the significance of the settlement. For the first time, fans in wheelchairs will have front-row access.

The Cubs have also agreed to modify protruding objects along circulation paths within Wrigley Field and ensure that certain parking and shuttle services outside the stadium are in full compliance.

All Cubs employees and contractors whose job responsibilities involve contact with patrons with disabilities will receive training on the settlement before each of the next three baseball seasons, according to court documents.

The settlement and proposed consent decree have been submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for final approval.

Over the next several years, the Cubs will submit to the United States written reports detailing their compliance with certain obligations in the consent decree. Officials may review compliance with the consent decree, including inspecting Wrigley Field at any time during the next three years, officials noted.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abraham J. Souza and Patrick W. Johnson for the Northern District of Illinois handled the case.