Cubs Issue Statement on Wrigley View Rooftop Lawsuit Win

The Cubs might have lost both Wild Card games to the Padres, but they won where it really matters: the courtroom. You may recall that the Cubs sued Wrigley View Rooftop in 2024 after the revenue-sharing agreement expired, arguing that the business’s unauthorized ticket sales were “parasitic” on the team’s labor and expenses. The counter-argument was that Wrigley View was a private property, and that watching an open-air event from its rooftop did not infringe on the Cubs.

A judge recently ruled in the team’s favor, which I find a little funny given how MLB owners are going to try to hose players out of revenue sharing in the next CBA negotiations. Which is to say that the revenue the Cubs earn from their rooftop ticket sales is most certainly not included in the pool that would have to be split with players. I’m not saying owners shouldn’t be able to have ancillary business related to their teams, but they can’t cry poor when they’re pulling in more money than what is publicly reported.

That said, I wasn’t a fan of the way the Cubs strong-armed local rooftop owners and — so I’ve been told anyway — may have used their influence in the financial world to grease the wheels in their favor. Whatever, no use whining about that now. Below is the statement the club released on the matter.

On September 30, U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman granted summary judgment in favor of the Chicago Cubs in the lawsuit against Aidan Dunican and Wrigley View Rooftop. The Cubs issued the following statement on the ruling.

“We are pleased with Judge Coleman’s ruling and appreciate the Court’s careful consideration of this matter. The decision protects our intellectual property rights and affirms our longstanding position that businesses cannot commercially profit from Cubs games or use Cubs intellectual property without authorization.”