• by Ray Schultz , April 29, 2021

The ongoing drama at Tribune Publishing has taken another turn. A lawsuit was filed against The Baltimore Sun and its parent company by a Maryland landlord. 

Admiral Cochrane, an affiliate of Grander Capital Partners, filed suit earlier this month, seeking $72,530.95 in missed rent payments from November 2020 to April 2021.

Capital Gazette, which is owned by The Baltimore Sun, occupied the building in question until closure during the pandemic last summer, The Baltimore Sun reports. 

In addition, the landlord is demanding $499,385.53 in future rent owed through the end of the lease in 2024, and legal and attorney’s fees.

The action illustrates one of the many risks faced by publishers and all businesses due to the COVID-19 outbreak. But it is nothing new for Tribune Publishing. 

Another title, The Orlando Sentinel, was sued last June for $370,000 in rent plus interest and legal expenses. Later, the newsroom closed for good, the Sun noted.

And in January, the Chicago Tribune’s landlord sued for $4.8 million in unpaid rent, going back to March 2020. 

These cases are symptomatic of the closing of newsrooms and the increasing tendency of journalists to work at home. 

Separately, reports say hotel magnate Stewart Bainum is still working on a bid to top Alden Global Capital's for Tribune Publishing. That report caused a 1% uptick in Tribune's share price, per Seeking Alpha.

The Tribune Publishing board has set May 21 as the date for a shareholder vote on the Alden purchase offer.