Judges Recused in Newspaper Battle

By: Three more federal judges have recused themselves from hearing a lawsuit between the past and present owners of the Salt Lake Tribune.

U.S. District judges Dee Benson, Bruce Jenkins and David Sam all filed orders of recusal over the past week. Judge Tena Campbell recused herself from the case on July 27, one week after the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver reversed one of her decisions and said a disputed appraisal of the newspaper could be reviewed.

A fifth Salt Lake City federal judge, Ted Stewart, recused himself in 2005.

That means nearly every federal judge in Utah has stepped away from one of several pending cases involving former Tribune owners the McCarthey family and current owners MediaNews Group Inc.

The latest round of recusals may create the need to have the case transferred to a retired judge or a judge from out of state.

The McCarthey family parted with the Tribune in a 1997 stock swap after other shareholders persuaded the newspaper to merge with cable-television giant TCI. The McCarthey family maintains the deal included a "handshake" repurchase option with TCI owner John Malone.

But TCI was acquired by AT&T Inc. in 1999 and sold the Tribune for $200 million to Denver-based MediaNews two years later.

The McCartheys have been trying to buy the paper back ever since. They struck a deal with MediaNews to determine the appraised value of the paper -- $355.5 million, according to the New Jersey-based Management Planning Inc. -- but dispute the amount.

MediaNews attorneys say the appraisal is valid.