Vikings sue Wells Fargo over rooftop signs near new stadium

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By Karlee Weinmann
Dolan Media Newswires

Rooftop signage on a pair of new Wells Fargo office towers in downtown Minneapolis will “photo bomb” the nearby new Minnesota Vikings stadium in violation of an agreement between the bank and the team, according to a lawsuit.

Minnesota Vikings Football Stadium LLC, an entity linked to the team, wants a Hennepin County District Court judge to block Wells Fargo from installing the signs. The lawsuit claims the signage runs counter to the deal with the team that prohibits illuminated mounted signs on the towers’ roofs. Such signage would detract from the stadium, the team claimed.

A photo included in court documents shows a Wells Fargo logo that lies flat atop one of the towers’ roofs. Based on the image, the sign would be visible in fly-over shots during Vikings telecasts.

“This prohibited action must be stopped immediately because not only do the new signs violate the parties’ agreement, they also adversely affect U.S. Bank Stadium’s iconic image,” the team wrote in its lawsuit. The signs have illuminated, raised letters, according to the suit.

The legal action exposes a branding battle between two Twin Cities’ banking powerhouses. Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank paid for naming rights to the $1.09 billion facility, scheduled to open next year. Wells Fargo’s towers, meanwhile, anchor the massive redevelopment in the Downtown East area next to the stadium.

According to the suit, team officials negotiated a signage agreement extensively with Wells Fargo representatives and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. Ryan Cos. US Inc., the Minneapolis-based developer behind the 17-story Wells Fargo towers, was also in on the talks.

“Agreeing to any roof top signs at all was a major concession by [the team], given that it had the ability to prohibit any and all roof top and other exterior signage on the Wells Fargo towers,” the Vikings claim in the suit.

Wells Fargo spokesman John Hobot did not directly comment on the lawsuit, but said in an emailed statement that the bank was content with the parameters it worked out alongside the team and other stakeholders in 2014.

“We are satisfied with the signage package that was approved for our $300 million community investment initiative for our new campus in the historic Downtown East neighborhood,” he said in the statement. Wells Fargo will own the towers, which total more than 1 million square feet of space.

As of last week, the bank had not filed a response to the Vikings’ suit.

A team representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Vikings are represented by Kevin R. Coan, L.J. Rotman and M. Annie Santos of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP.