"Ain't Patrick's Day" by Daniel Guss
Green day, black ink and red flags surround the $24 million lawsuit filed against Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and his entities by its former printing plant landlord.
At 10:15am (PST) on St. Patrick’s Day, the New York Post published a story about a $24 million lawsuit filed by Alameda, a real estate developer, against Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, 72, owner of the Los Angeles Times, and NantMedia, a company of his that is the lease guarantor for its tenancy at its former printing plant, “for allegedly failing to pay rent and leaving the building in ‘gross disrepair.’”
The property is located roughly 5 miles south of Dodger Stadium. I did a segment about the Post story on “The John Kobylt Show” on KFI-AM 640 yesterday afternoon, with questions continuing to surface.
In the Post story, the words “according to the lawsuit filed in LA Supreme Court in late January,” caught my attention. (Presumably, the Post means LA Superior Court.)
In January.
January, January, January.
Nearly 20 hours after the Post published its story, I can’t find anything about it on the Times’ website, app or Twitter feed, raising the question of whether its reporters missed it or are they barred from reporting on it?
Either scenario would be calamitous.
The Post quotes an attorney for the LA Times and NantMedia, simultaneously claiming that the lawsuit is “meritless,” while also saying “our client looks forward to resolving the matter.”
Does anyone see a slight contradiction there?
If it’s meritless, what is there to resolve?
Defend yourself against the lawsuit if it is meritless.
Then explain why you’re not reporting on it.
Something is amiss with this inky mess.
They’re just not telling us.
(Daniel Guss, MBA, won the LA Press Club’s “Online Journalist of the Year” and “Best Activism Journalism” awards in June ‘23. In June ‘24, he won its “Best Commentary, Non-Political” award. He has contributed to the Daily Mail, CityWatchLA, KFI AM-640, iHeartMedia, 790-KABC, Cumulus Media, KCRW 89.9 FM, KRLA 870 AM, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pasadena Star-News, Los Angeles Downtown News and the Los Angeles Times in its sports, opinion, entertainment and Sunday Magazine sections among other publishers.)