An Illinois judge has ordered long-time Chicago White Sox owner and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to be deposed as part of a lawsuit over a 2023 shooting at the team’s home stadium, Rate Field.
The White Sox and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority were sued in August of 2024 by two women alleging they were injured by gunfire while seated in the bleachers at Rate Field. The lawsuit claims the gun was fired inside the ballpark and accuses the team of negligent security practices. The plaintiffs have not been identified publicly.
Reinsdorf is expected to be questioned about his comments in the days after the shooting as well as his decision against calling off the remainder of the game, according to the Chicago Tribune. The team did cancel a post-game Vanilla Ice performance scheduled for later that night as a result of the shooting.
Daily Mail has reached out to White Sox spokespeople for comment.
The facts of the case remain murky and it’s still not entirely clear if the gun was actually fired inside Rate Field or the area surrounding the stadium.
Two unidentified women were reportedly injured after a gun went off during the team’s 12-4 loss to the Athletics on August 25, 2023. At the time, ESPN Chicago’s Peggy Kusinski reported the shooting was accidental, adding that one woman was ‘grazed’ after allegedly sneaking the firearm into Rate Field ‘in the folds of her belly fat.’
An Illinois judge has ordered long-time Chicago White Sox owner and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to be deposed as part of a lawsuit over a 2023 shooting at the team’s Rate Field
However, an attorney has since told the Tribune that his client did not bring the gun into Rate Field.
‘We have reviewed photographic evidence and X-rays of our client’s injuries with firearms and medical experts who confirm the gunshot wound our client sustained was not self-inflicted and was not the result of her accidentally discharging a firearm,’ attorney John Malm told the Tribune in 2023.
Reinsdorf agreed with that assessment soon after.
‘They’re still investigating,’ Reinsdorf said in 2023. ‘I don’t want to get into specific facts while they’re investigating but have really done a deep dive into this and I don’t see any way in the world that the shots could have come from inside the ballpark.
‘Let’s let the police continue with their investigation. At this point all the superintendent is prepared to say is they have not ruled out that they came from outside the ballpark.’
Reinsdorf also spoke with Chicago PD’s Fred Waller, who echoed those comments in a statement of his own.
‘We’re dispelling a lot of things,’ he began. ‘[A shot] coming from outside is something we’ve almost completely dispelled. We’re still looking at every avenue. It’s still under investigation. Something from inside, it could’ve happened that way. We’re looking at every avenue, exploring every lead and everything that we can get.’
Despite earlier claims, police do not think the gun was fired inside of Rate Field in 2023
Rate Field is owned by the state of Illinois, but security is handled by private contractors.
Reinsdorf, 89, is in the process of selling the club to Justin Ishbia, the brother of Poenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia. The team announced the deal earlier this month.
Ishbia will make capital infusions to the team as a limited partner in 2025 and 2026 in order to pay down existing club debt and support ongoing team operations.
Under the agreement, Reinsdorf has the option to sell controlling interest to Ishbia from 2029 to 2033, after which Ishbia can obtain a majority stake.
Reinsdorf has not announced any plans to sell the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, who have won six titles since he bought the club in 1985 for $16 million.
