In the bitter feud over the Philadelphia Inquirer, a judge blocked the ouster of Bill Marimow as editor-in-chief and ordered the paper’s owners to give him his old job.
“Reinstating Mr. Marimow will properly restore the parties to their status as it existed immediately prior to the alleged wrongful conduct that is the firing of Mr. Marimow,” Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Patricia McInerney ruled Friday.
Publisher Bob Hall’s decision to fire Marimow last month has divided the paper’s six owners into rival camps. Each side has accused the other of violating a non-interference pledge they made when they bought the company in 2012.
Former New Jersey Nets owner Lewis Katz, with support from Gerry Lenfest, sued to return Marimow to his post. They squared off against another group of co-owners, led by New Jersey insurance magnate George Norcross, who backed Hall.
Norcross and his partners, who have a separate suit going in Delaware Chancery Court, blasted the decision Friday and said they plan to appeal.
“The decision to return Marimow to the Inquirer as a lame-duck editor — his contract ends April 30 — will have the effect of risking chaos in the company, restoring an editor who consistently resisted needed changes to the paper and who is in open conflict with the publisher,” according to a statement.
Dick Sprague, the attorney for Katz and Lenfest, praised the decision.
“Judge McInerney’s ruling today is a very important victory for journalistic independence and integrity,” Sprague said.