Class Action Alleges Chicago White Sox Refuse to Sell Accessible-Seat Tickets on Team Website [UPDATE]
Last Updated on July 1, 2024
Yaniz et al. v. Chicago White Sox, LTD.
Filed: September 13, 2023 ◆§ 1:23-cv-10714
A class action alleges the Chicago White Sox have discriminated against those with disabilities by refusing to list all available accessible-seat tickets for sale on its website.
June 28, 2024 – Settlement Reached in Chicago White Sox Accessibility Lawsuit
The Chicago White Sox have agreed to settle the proposed class action lawsuit detailed on this page.
Are you owed unclaimed settlement money? Check out our class action rebates page full of open class action settlements.
Although details of the settlement are not available in court documents, an attorney for the disability service organization that filed the suit on behalf of the plaintiffs, Access Living, told Law360 that the case was settled “amicably.”
“Through this process, the Chicago White Sox and Access Living worked together to review and implement changes to the White Sox’s ticketing process so that the White Sox align ticket sales with their longstanding approach of providing the most accessible and inclusive gameday experience possible for all fans, including those with disabilities,” a senior attorney at Access Living said in a statement to Law360.
On May 23, 2024, the Chicago White Sox and the plaintiffs filed a joint stipulation to dismiss the case with prejudice, with each party agreeing to cover their own attorneys’ fees and costs.
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The Chicago White Sox faces a proposed class action that alleges the American League Central team has discriminated against individuals with disabilities by refusing to list all available accessible-seat season and single-game tickets on its website.
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The 18-page case says that although the general public can purchase White Sox season tickets and single-game tickets on the team’s website, season tickets for accessible seats are not sold online and “the vast majority” of single-game accessible seats are falsely listed as unavailable.
According to the suit, the White Sox’ refusal to sell season tickets for accessible seats on its website forces those with disabilities to call to make a purchase and limits the seats they can buy to only a few offered by phone, seemingly in disregard of all the other unsold accessible seats around the ballpark.
Further, the suit alleges the White Sox also has “discriminatory restrictions” on the team website as far as the sale of single-game tickets for accessible seats, as the club offers only a small percentage of accessible seats online and “frequently limit[s] them to only certain areas of the stadium or certain games during the year.” The case says that many of the existing accessible seats at Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field “remained empty during games throughout the season,” and for the majority of this year’s campaign, the White Sox’ website offered accessible seating primarily in the upper deck or outfield.
“Only after the White Sox were assured of not making the playoffs did the White Sox release some accessible seats for sale closer to the infield on the main level,” the filing states.
The lawsuit accuses the White Sox of violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which governs public accommodations and protects individuals from discrimination on the basis of a disability. Under ADA regulations, individuals with disabilities must be afforded an equal opportunity to buy tickets for any accessible seating through the same methods of distribution, and in the same types and numbers of ticketing sales outlets, as the general public, the complaint relays.
The lawsuit looks to cover all people who qualify for wheelchair-accessible seating and seek to attend a home game played by the White Sox by purchasing either season tickets or a single-game ticket on the White Sox’ website.
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