Jul 16, 2007 10:09 pm US/Central
Final Shots Offered In Twin Cities Publisher Fight
St. Paul (AP) ―
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The Pioneer Press is seeking a temporary injunction that would sideline Ridder and two other Star Tribune executives who had worked under him at the Pioneer Press for one year.
CBS
Attorneys for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minneapolis Star Tribune fired their final shots Monday in a legal battle over whether Star Tribune publisher Par Ridder and two other executives should be barred from working for the Minneapolis newspaper.
Attorneys for both side submitted their closing arguments in writing following three days of testimony late last month before Ramsey County District Judge David Higgs. The judge said at the close of those proceedings that he would not rule before the end of the summer.
The Pioneer Press claims that Ridder broke a noncompete agreement when he defected from the St. Paul newspaper to the crosstown rival Star Tribune in March.
The Pioneer Press is seeking a temporary injunction that would sideline him and two other Star Tribune executives who had worked under him at the Pioneer Press for one year.
The Minneapolis newspaper contends Ridder's noncompete agreement had been rescinded before he left the Pioneer Press, and that the financial, advertising and personnel computer data he openly acknowledged taking from the Pioneer Press was never used to harm the St. Paul newspaper, only to serve as templates for spreadsheets Ridder wanted to build using Star Tribune data.
In their filings Monday, each side used harsh language to criticize the other side's tactics.
"Ridder has consistently violated his legal duties to the Pioneer Press, reneged on his promises to the Pioneer Press and MediaNews, and publicly lied about his use of Pioneer Press information," wrote Dominic Cecere, lead attorney for the Pioneer Press.
Similarly, the Star Tribune contended the law and facts are on its side.
"The facts here simply do not warrant the draconian 'remedy' of enjoining Defendants' employment at the Star Tribune," wrote Robert Weinstine, the Star Tribune's lead attorney.
The Star Tribune is owned by Avista Capital Partners LP, while MediaNews Group Inc. owns the Pioneer Press, which used to be part of the defunct Knight Ridder Inc. chain.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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