TOWER—At the urging of supporters, the Timberjay Newspapers have opened a legal defense fund to help defray the mounting legal costs of a false and frivolous lawsuit filed this past week by Gary and Edna Albertson, who are direct competitors of the Timberjay as well as minority shareholders in the company.
The Timberjay, for those unfamiliar with the small community newspaper group based in the northwoods of Minnesota, has built a national reputation for investigative journalism focusing on public affairs. Timberjay Publisher Marshall Helmberger has been a featured presenter on investigative reporting in small communities at national and state conferences, including at the 2015 National Newspaper Association Convention, the 2014 national convention of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), and the 2015 convention of the Minnesota Newspaper Association.
The Albertsons and their attorney have acknowledged they have no documents supporting their claims, yet they are asking a court to effectively dismantle the Timberjay as a means of enhancing the value of their competing newspapers.
They purchased their minority stock in 1997 and have demanded payments from the company, while making baseless threats of legal action. The Timberjay’s majority owners have, instead, invested company profits in improving the quality of the newspaper.
The attorney representing the Albertsons also represents a local school district that has been the focus of a number of investigations stemming from misuse of taxpayer funds to promote passage of a school bond measure. Helmberger has assisted complainants with successful litigation that resulted in precedent-setting decisions regarding school district spending in Minnesota. We have good reason to believe the lawsuit is retaliatory on the part of the attorney.
See our news report here
The Albertsons owned competing newspapers in the small towns of Cook and in Tower, where the Timberjay is based. Anyone wishing to assist in the Timberjay’s legal defense can donate here. And, please, take a minute or two to share this on social media. Thanks so much!
Please visit Funded Justice or click here for more information.
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