Subscriber Targets Newspaper for Fraud After Staff Cut

Posted by Eriq Gardner

We're sure the staff writer for the News & Observer who filed this report had little grin on his face. The newspaper is being sued by a subscriber named Keith Hempstead, a Durham lawyer, for fraud after paying his subscription and then watching the paper layoff 70 staff members.

The Wall Street Journal law blog calls Hempstead a "national hero," an opinion probably not shared by Journal owner Rupert Murdoch. If Hempstead wins, however, will the damages force the paper to make more cuts? Be careful who gets celebrated.