CHICAGO — A hospital across the street from Riot Fest's new home in Douglas Park has sued the music festival and will ask a court to halt the event, scheduled for next weekend.
Saint Anthony Hospital, a small, faith-based hospital at 2875 W. 19th St., filed its suit Friday, saying the music festival will disrupt hospital business as well as harm patients. It has asked for a temporary restraining order against the fest, which would at the very least cause a rescheduling of the three-day event that is to start Friday, Sept. 11.
The hospital hired lawyers after Riot Fest in early August released the map of the fest, which shows the stages taking up much of the south side of Douglas Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr., the suit claims. That side of the park is closest to Saint Anthony.
Riot Fest made concessions after lawyers were brought on, the suit claims, but not enough was done to satisfy the hospital.
"This change does not remedy the disruption that will be caused by Riot Fest's presence in Douglas Park," according to the suit.
A spokesman for Riot Fest, Chris Mather, said in a statement that festival officials met with and reconfigured the event to address the hospital's concerns, including moving an entrance.
Mather said the hospital threatened the festival with a lawsuit unless the hospital was paid $158,000.
"It is unfortunate that St. Anthony officials are taking a festival that should be seen as a vibrant and position addition for the community and are trying to use it for ulterior motives," Mather said in a statement.
The hospital is now mostly concerned with the influx of people near its front doors and the noise disturbances the music might cause, according to the suit. A St. Anthony's spokesperson said the suit was not about the money but the disruption of hospital operations.
Riot Fest will draw 45,000 to the neighborhood, including "vendors, musicians, ride operators and carnival freaks," the suit says. The suit also notes that the festival caters to punk, rap and rock acts, and mentions specific acts on the bill: Anthrax, Death, Gwar, Snopp Dogg and Rancid, among others.
But the hospital is especially concerned with the fest's impact on patients who could have trouble resting with a concert across the street.
"Given these concerns, Saint Anthony Hospital felt filing a [temporary restraining order] was not only a necessary action at this time, but a life-saving one,” said Kathryn Grosso, hospital spokeswoman.
Beyond moving an entrance, a letter from Riot Fest lawyers says event officials reconfigured stage layout and brought in special sound equipment to bring noise down to manageable levels, according to a Sun-Times report.
Now in its fourth year in Chicago, Riot Fest had agreed to move to Douglas Park earlier this summer after Humboldt Park neighbors rallied against the festival.
Mount Sinai Hospital, on the east side of Douglas Park, has been planning for months for the fest and has already begun informing its employees and patients of the road closures and other possible disruptions.
Sinai is unlikely to see many of the patients that might come from Riot Fest, as the fest and hospital agreed to take fest-goers to other hospitals so Sinai's emergency room can stay open for more pressing matters, as it is just one of four Level 1 trauma centers in Chicago.
A Mount Sinai spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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