A lawsuit filed against the San Diego Union-Tribune by their former editorial cartoonist, Steve Kelley, has been thrown out due to lack of “evidence of any unfair or unlawful business practice.” The ruling is a set back for Kelley who accused his former employer of intimidating current Union-Tribune Steve Breen from developing a comic strip with him.
According to an article in the Voice of San Diego, the judge noted that Breen testified that he quit the collaboration because “he did not see the ‘magic’ in the strip, because of his workload and because he did not want to upset his employer.”
Kelley’s lawyer says he’ll ask the judge to reconsider and an appeal is also being considered. The comic strip in question will launch in January by King Features Syndicate.