The $300M Wrigley Field renovation plan "remains in limbo, with Cubs ownership still trying to persuade the surrounding rooftop clubs to drop threats of a lawsuit before it begins construction," according to Sachdev & Dardick of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Talks between the Cubs and Wrigley Field rooftop owners "are at an impasse amid the first legal shot, continued disagreement over outfield advertising signs and convention weekend rhetoric." Differences over the size and placement of the left field videoboard the Cubs plan to erect "brought the negotiations to a standstill Tuesday." The rooftop owners this week sued SportsCorp President Marc Ganis for "making allegedly false statements about them in an article published in the Chicago Sun-Times" in January '13. Ganis in the story said the rooftop clubs were "stealing" the Cubs' product for their own profit. Rooftop owners allege that those statements "were false and harmed their reputations because they have a contractual arrangement with the team that allows them to sell tickets to people who want bird's-eye views of the games." The suit came after Cubs Chair Tom Ricketts "made comments at the annual Cubs convention that some rooftop owners viewed as disparaging" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/23). ESPN CHICAGO's Jesse Rogers wrote, "The Cubs say they won't start the major renovation project without an agreement with the rooftop owners that includes a guarantee not to sue the Cubs for breach of contract, which would delay construction. The lawsuit against Ganis just might be the beginning" (ESPNCHICAGO.com, 1/22).
