Update: Texas Monthly magazine filed suit in Texas District Court on Friday against the New York Times Company for allegedly causing its former editor, Jake Silverstein, to breach his contract by leaving the magazine for The Times.
The Times had claimed on Friday that Texas Monthly publisher Emmis Communications also planned to name Silverstein in the suit. Emmis refuted that claim in a statement released Monday, and according to court documents, Silverstein is in fact not a party in the lawsuit.
“Jake has done an exemplary job as the editor-in-chief of Texas Monthly since 2008. Despite our attempts to reach an amicable resolution with the Times to terminate our employment agreement with Jake, both before and after the announcement of his hiring, the Times has refused to even engage in negotiations with Texas Monthly. Texas Monthly and Emmis take our commitments seriously and expect others to do the same,” Emmis Publishing president Greg Loewen said in a statement Monday.
Previous: The New York Times is facing a breach of contract lawsuit from the Texas Monthly over its new magazine editor Jake Silverstein.
Also read: New York Times Magazine Names Jake Silverstein as Editor
The Times said Friday that Texas Monthly publisher Emmis Communications is expected to file a breach of contract suit for Silverstein’s departure from the publication, where he served as editor.
The Times would be named in the suit for allegedly inducing the breach. The paper announced less than two weeks ago that Silverstein would take over the editor post at its Sunday magazine. He was expected to start this spring.
Also read: Chelsea Handler Slams New York Times’ Bill Carter for Sexism: I’m Not a ‘Parenthetical’
“We had an understanding with Emmis during the search that Jake would be permitted to exit his contract with Emmis and take the job,” Times spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said, calling the decision to file suit “inexplicable.”
“We believe there is no basis for a lawsuit. We look forward to having Mr. Silverstein join The Times next month and help us shape the future of the magazine,” Murphy added.