White County Court’s Judgment Against Newspaper Owner
In a significant legal development, a White County court has issued a $1.6 million judgment against the owner of the News & Review newspaper on Dec. 4. The case, number 91C01-2512-CB-000047, involves respondents Don L. Hurd, Christina L. Hurd, Hoosier Media Group LLC, and State Bank of Burnettsville. The petitioner, in this case, is The Huntington National Bank.
Details of the Monetary Award
As per the details available on mycase.in.gov, Count 1 of the judgment entails a monetary award of $1,618,208.05 in favor of The Huntington National Bank, with Hometown Media Inc et al. being held liable (joint and severally). Count II awards $195,998.62 to The Huntington Bank, again with Hometown Media Inc et al. being held liable (joint and severally). Additionally, the judgment includes attorney fees amounting to $12,650.41, payable to The Huntington Bank by Hometown Media Inc, et al. (joint and severally).
Additional Judgments
In another development in Vermillion County, Don L. Hurd and Heartland Media Group LLC were handed a judgment order on Dec. 3. According to Case No 83C01-2509-PL-000010, Clinton Color Crafters Inc was awarded $26,148.30 against Heartland Media Group LLC and Don L. Hurd.
Background on the Settlement
Court documents reveal that in April of 2020, an agreement was made for the sale of a business between Clinton Color Crafters Inc of Vermillion County and Heartland Media Group LLC of White County. The business in question was The Daily Clintonian newspaper, being sold from Clinton Color Crafters to Heartland Media Group LLC and Don L. Hurd. The settled selling price was $60,000, with an initial down payment of $10,000 made at closing. The remaining $50,000 was agreed to be financed by Heartland Media Group LLC/Don L. Hurd over a five-year period at a five percent interest rate. Annual payments of $11,548.74 were to be made to Clinton Color Crafters Inc starting from May 30, 2021, through May 30, 2025. The remaining balance could be paid off early without any penalty.
Unclear Future of Hurd’s Newspapers
Currently, the future of the newspapers owned by Hurd is uncertain. On the same day as the $1.6 million judgment was announced, two of his employees revealed that their checks had bounced and they were seeking new employment. Despite attempts to reach out, a request for comment from Mr. Hurd has not yet been answered by this newspaper.
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