A San Diego judge threw out a lawsuit yesterday challenging the legality of lease agreements between inewsource, KPBS and San Diego State University, concluding that it was prompted by inewsource’s investigative journalism.
Superior Court Judge Eddie Sturgeon issued his two-page decision in response to a motion filed by inewsource that asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit brought by San Diegans for Open Government because it was meant to silence reporting critical of a prominent attorney who frequently represents the nonprofit group.
“We are gratified Judge Sturgeon agreed that this lawsuit challenged the very mission of inewsource, that is, to do investigative journalism,” inewsource executive editor Lorie Hearn said. “His decision underscores the importance of our work and of our partnership with KPBS.”
“We did really feel like this [lawsuit] was retaliation for our hard-hitting news stories,” added inewsource attorney Guylyn Cummins.