Another stupid lawyer suit - Granite Grok

Another stupid lawyer suit

No, I’m not talking about the lawyer that sued the dry cleaners for losing his pants – to the tune of 50 million dollars (he later lost his job).

This one is just about the same level of stupidity, though:

N&O subscriber sues the paper for cutting staff

RALEIGH – A News & Observer subscriber is suing the newspaper for cutting staff and the size of the paper.

 

Keith Hempstead

Keith Hempstead, a Durham lawyer, filed the suit last month in Wake Superior Court. He says he renewed his subscription in May just before the paper announced on June 16 the layoffs of 70 staff members and cuts in news pages.

The paper, he says, is now not worth what he signed up for and therefore the cuts breached the paper’s contract with him.

Civil society should be able to solve its problems and friction points without violence. Talk is generally better but when that fails, dueling lawyers is probably better than duelists (though I bet the number of dueling lawyers might go down if there were more duelists around). 

That said, this is plain stupid.  

"Plaintiff alleges fraud in that the newspaper announced changes in the coverage after procuring renewals from Plaintiff and other subscribers," Hempstead says in the complaint.

Usually, a company cuts staff when revenues do not match expenses (inside joke – certain politicos in Belknap County, NH seem to like that phrase).  And in the newspaper industry, that is almost every day as 1) ad revenues go down and 2) (my opinion) people no longer want to read opinion dressed up as news.

In a phone interview today, Hempstead, 42, said he could cancel his subscription but filed the suit to make a point.

"I wanted to get the newspaper’s attention and the news industry’s attention," said Hempstead, who is a former reporter at the Fayetteville Observer, adding that he loves The News & Observer.

"I hate to see what companies that run newspapers are doing to the product," Hempstead said. "The idea that taking the most important product and reducing the amount of news and getting rid of staff to me seems pointless to how you should run a newspaper business."

Hempstead said he wants to keep the paper from reducing news coverage and wants the newspaper industry to revisit its business model. His suit asks for an unspecified amount of damages and attorney’s fees.

Perhaps a few staff members standing outside the office with tin cups is what he means for a new business model? Making a point?  The only thing that he has done has brought attention to himself as a nutcase – suing a company that doe snot have the money to pay it’s staff.  That expensive action is going to make it…what…easier to pay the existing staff?

Besides, what would be his "loss"?  A few 10s of dollars from the devalued subscription?  This former reporter needs a few business lessons….

John Drescher, executive editor of The News & Observer, said he’s glad that Hempstead is a loyal reader and that the N&O has meant so much to him.

"We’ve had some really good papers recently, and they’re worth more than the 36 cents a day that Mr. Hempstead is paying us," Drescher said.

"In fact, he owes me money," Drescher continued. "So when he gets a lawyer, he can work with my lawyer and figure out how much he’s going to pay me for the excellent coverage he’s been getting recently."

Exactly right!  Just like people who complain that their taxes are too low, why doesn’t Mr. Hempstead whip out his checkbook and sign his name to a check with lots of zeros with it?  And persuade others of like mind to do the same?  Maybe they’d be able to constructively help out. 

But, I would not hold my breath.  Effectively, I bet it cost him next to nothing to file and it will be expensive for the paper to defend itself against this very frivolous lawsuit.

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