Morris Publishing: Court overrules community activists' objections

By Lisa Kerner

Charlotte, N.C., Feb. 10 - Morris Publishing Group, LLC will not be required to have a trustee or examiner appointed to hold a telephonic hearing on its "neglect of journalistic duties" as requested by a pair of community activists, according to a Wednesday filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Georgia.

The court ruled that the activists, Judith Seraphin and Ed Slavin, have no standing on behalf of bondholders and overruled their objections.

In addition, Seraphin and Slavin failed to show cause why they should be allowed to intervene.

Seraphin and Slavin said in their motion that as longtime readers and subscribers of the St. Augustine Record, they have "watched as both the quality and quantity of the Record's news coverage decline, with slashed news budgets over the last 5-10 years."

As previously reported, Morris Publishing made a pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing to complete the restructuring of its debt that had the support of the majority of its bondholders.

Under its plan, Morris Publishing will reduce its overall debt to $126.5 million from $415 million.

The activists said previously that Morris Publishing's plan to seek relief by erasing some $178.5 million owed to creditors won't work.

Morris Publishing owns and operates newspapers, city magazines and free community publications. The company is an affiliate of Morris Communications, a privately held media company based in Augusta, Ga. The Chapter 11 case number is 10-10134.

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