Don't let it be said the Vikings are sore winners.
In a mostly confidential settlement filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, the team allowed Wells Fargo to keep elevated but not illuminated signs on the rooftops of two office buildings adjacent to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The agreement followed months of negotiations, dozens of legal filings and several hearings in front of U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank.
"We're pleased that as two prominent Minnesota brands and community leaders we've reached a resolution that's in the best interests of both parties," said Lester Bagley, Vikings vice president, a sentiment echoed in a nearly identical statement from Wells Fargo.
It's a resolution seemingly at odds with prior actions. The Vikings escalated the dispute when it took Wells Fargo to court late last year. The team accused Wells Fargo of attempting to photo-bomb the image of U.S. Bank stadium that would be broadcast around the world, especially during the Super Bowl in February 2018.
The team argued that Wells Fargo violated a two-year-old agreement about signage on the two 17-story office buildings.
In multiple documents and in the courtroom, the Vikings said Wells Fargo was allowed to have painted signs on the rooftops, but they couldn't be elevated or illuminated.
The Vikings won outright in court. Earlier this summer, Frank ordered Wells Fargo to remove the signs. He found the bank had breached the contract with the Vikings that allowed signs to be 56-by-56 feet, but could be neither raised nor illuminated.
