Blade's parent company sues ex-manager for contract breach
10/21/2011Block Communications Inc., on behalf of The Blade, filed a lawsuit yesterday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court alleging that Thomas F. Pounds, as publisher of the Toledo Free Press, breached the separation agreement he entered into after he resigned in 2004 as general manager of The Blade.
Also named as defendants in the complaint are the Toledo Free Press and that publication's editor in chief, Michael S. Miller.
Block Communications is the parent company of The Blade and also owns the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Buckeye CableSystem.
The action was filed, according to the complaint, to recover damages resulting from the breach of the separation agreement, which prohibited Mr. Pounds from disparaging or taking any action directly or indirectly to harm The Blade, its parent, divisions, subsidiaries, or affiliates or any of their directors, officers, shareholders, or employees.
Mr. Pounds declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Block Communications is entitled to damages of more than $188,000, plus interest, costs, and attorneys' fees, for Mr. Pounds' alleged breaches of his separation agreement, the lawsuit said.
The suit was filed by Thomas P. Dillon and Stephen A. Rothschild of the Toledo law firm of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick.
The case was assigned to Judge Gene Zmuda.