Non-compete clause at heart of Ridder lawsuit
The St. Paul Pioneer Press has filed suit against its larger crosstown rival, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.
The suit centers around Par Ridder, who was publisher of the Pioneer Press, but moved to the Star Tribune in March to to take the same job there. The suit claims Ridder violated a "non-compete" portion of his employment contract.
The lawsuit also contends Ridder took valuable company information with him on a laptop computer, and that he also recruited Pioneer Press staff to join him at the Star Tribune.
Ridder himself hasn't commented beyond saying he was "absolutely confident" he would prevail in the suit.
MPR's Tom Crann talked with lawyer Wayne Moskowitz, an expert in non-compete contracts and a partner at Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand in Minneapolis, about how non-compete lawsuits tend to play out in court.
