Newspaper Owner Demands Damages

The owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press has filed a legal action demanding $500,000 in damages from former editor Jerry Roberts, sources at the newspaper said.

The claim on behalf of Publisher Wendy McCaw's Ampersand Inc. was filed with an arbitrator, as required in Roberts' employment contract. It accuses him of breach of contract and causing damage to the News-Press.

Roberts, four other editors and a columnist resigned in early July, complaining that the personal biases of McCaw and her allies infected the news pages of the News-Press. Eight other journalists have since joined the exodus.