Cubs sued for lack of wheelchair room

A wheelchair-using Cubs fan has sued the Chicago Cubs for the lack of enough wheelchair space at Wrigley Field. According to David F. Cerda, the Wrigley Field renovations have eliminated or excluded some disabled accessible spaces at the Friedly Confines, thus violating federal law.

Cerda, who is using a wheelchair since he was ten years old, has muscular dystrophy. In the lawsuit, Cerda states that the $750 million renovation project removed wheelchair-accessible sections in the right-field bleachers where he used to watch games and replaced them with a bar. The team also pushed the accessible seats behind home plate back several rows, making it impossible to see the “whole field of play” when spectators in front of him were standing, according to the lawsuit.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act “wheelchair spaces be an integral part of the seating plan.” The owners’ decisions seem driven more by profits rather than concern for the law or accommodating all of their fans, said Cerda’s father, attorney David A. Cerda. The Americans with Disabilities Act prescribes that there should be wheelchair spaces in every section of a stadium. Compared to the new VIP area, where there is no room for wheelchairs as well, Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark has a similar VIP area with wheelchair accessible seating in the front row.

Even though the Cubs’ owners should deal with this problem, the following quote shows that an old ballpark like Wrigley Field has its limitations when it comes to wheelchair accessible spaces. A Cubs fan who suffered a broken ankle and leg in 2015 described a visit to Wrigley Field when she was using a wheelchair: “It turned into a nightmare,” said Donato, who had attended games at the stadium since 1968. “I’ve never been back to Wrigley Field and I think I would have a really hard time going again even though I’m walking now; it’s really soured me on the whole experience.” Donato ended up in an upper deck section behind home plate, where she was moved by staffers after she sat somewhere behind the last row of seats in the Terrace Reserved section. But with no elevators, the couple left the game early to navigate the steep ramps back to street level.

Backed by the federal law, Cerda may have a good case. According to the attorney, the ADA can force the Cubs to rebuild the stadium to comply with the law.