Judge Denies Rooftops' Request For Temporary Restraining Order Against Cubs

Earlier this week, representatives of two Wrigleyville-area rooftop owners had submitted a request in federal court to issue a temporary restraining order against the Cubs to stop the construction of two video boards the owners claimed would block their views into Wrigley Field.

This morning:

Breaking: Judge denies rooftops' request for temporary restraining order on Wrigley Field OF signage.

— Danny Ecker (@DannyEcker) February 19, 2015

This doesn't surprise me, nor should it surprise you. The plaintiffs were asking for this order claiming the boards would give "irreparable harm" to their businesses. As no boards have yet been constructed and no games are being played at Wrigley Field right now, Judge Virginia Kendall would seem to have had no other possible ruling to make.

Next is a hearing on a (presumably) more permanent injunction:

No TRO for rooftops. An expedited injunction hearing on RF videoboard is next.

— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) February 19, 2015

Any lawyers here, please weigh in with your thoughts on how that would likely go.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to post the Cubs' latest rendering showing the two boards and the other signs they intend to construct. You can see a portion of the rendering at the top of this post, but here's the complete image:

The way I see it, the left-field board would cause minimal blockage; the right-field board, more significant blockage, at least the way those are shown in this rendering. The other signage would have various levels of blockage, but not completely block anyone's view from a rooftop.

The lack of a TRO likely means we are headed to the endgame I've always figured: the Ricketts family owning most of the rooftop clubs.