Posted on Jul 2, 2022
A hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri, wages a legal war against the local newspaper
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The case, which began as a garden-variety employment lawsuit, has morphed into a First Amendment battle.
A legal dispute over the firing of a hospital employee has escalated into a battle pitting one of the largest employers in St. Joseph, Missouri, against the city’s daily newspaper.
Heartland Regional Medical Center — which operates as Mosaic Life Care — earlier this month deposed both the reporter who covered the dispute for the St. Joseph News-Press, Clayton Anderson, and the newspaper’s director of news and content, Steven Booher.
The hospital has since upped the ante and requested sanctions against attorneys representing the fired hospital employee, Reba Lasseur. Mosaic argues that Lasseur's attorneys disclosed information to the newspaper that was subject to a court-issued protective order.
A legal dispute over the firing of a hospital employee has escalated into a battle pitting one of the largest employers in St. Joseph, Missouri, against the city’s daily newspaper.
Heartland Regional Medical Center — which operates as Mosaic Life Care — earlier this month deposed both the reporter who covered the dispute for the St. Joseph News-Press, Clayton Anderson, and the newspaper’s director of news and content, Steven Booher.
The hospital has since upped the ante and requested sanctions against attorneys representing the fired hospital employee, Reba Lasseur. Mosaic argues that Lasseur's attorneys disclosed information to the newspaper that was subject to a court-issued protective order.
A hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri, wages a legal war against the local newspaper
Posted from kcur.org
St. Joseph
Lawsuit
Newspapers
1st Amendment
Journalism
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."“Additionally, Mr. Anderson with the News-Press told Mosaic that he interviewed Ms. Lasseur’s attorneys, and they had shared information with him,” Austin said. “He told Mosaic that this interview was recorded. Mosaic asked the News-Press if they could view the full video of the interview to ensure that no confidential information was disclosed by Ms. Lasseur’s attorneys. The News-Press told Mosaic that they could not release the video without a court order. That is why Mosaic subpoenaed the video of the interview from the News-Press.”
Bernie Rhodes, a Kansas City media attorney who has no involvement in the case, said that if Mosaic’s attorneys have a complaint with Lasseur’s attorneys, “they should take it up with them and not drag the independent news media into their fights.”
Rhodes, who provides legal counsel to the Midwest Newsroom, which is based at KCUR, said there were ways to get the information Mosaic was seeking without bringing in the news media.
“They’re called the news media for a reason,” Rhodes said. “They report on news. And if every time there’s something in the news and we’ve got to go testify about it, we might as well stop being reporters and just become professional witnesses, because that’s all we’ll have time to do.”
..."“Additionally, Mr. Anderson with the News-Press told Mosaic that he interviewed Ms. Lasseur’s attorneys, and they had shared information with him,” Austin said. “He told Mosaic that this interview was recorded. Mosaic asked the News-Press if they could view the full video of the interview to ensure that no confidential information was disclosed by Ms. Lasseur’s attorneys. The News-Press told Mosaic that they could not release the video without a court order. That is why Mosaic subpoenaed the video of the interview from the News-Press.”
Bernie Rhodes, a Kansas City media attorney who has no involvement in the case, said that if Mosaic’s attorneys have a complaint with Lasseur’s attorneys, “they should take it up with them and not drag the independent news media into their fights.”
Rhodes, who provides legal counsel to the Midwest Newsroom, which is based at KCUR, said there were ways to get the information Mosaic was seeking without bringing in the news media.
“They’re called the news media for a reason,” Rhodes said. “They report on news. And if every time there’s something in the news and we’ve got to go testify about it, we might as well stop being reporters and just become professional witnesses, because that’s all we’ll have time to do.”
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