No Settlement Reached in Inquirer Ownership Case

Four hours of negotiations were for naught. It's all in Judge Patricia McInerney's hands now.

A last-ditch attempt at a settlement between the battling owners of the Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com failed today. Now the legal dispute between George Norcross and Lewis Katz now sits before a judge.

Lawyers for both sides, along with the parties in the case, spent almost four hours shuttling in and out of Judge Patricia McInerney’s chambers in City Hall Wednesday. But before 2 p.m. McInerney announced the talks had failed, and the afternoon finished with brief rebuttal testimony from Katz’s side and closing arguments.

McInerney announced no timetable by which she might deliver her decision, but attorneys on both sides indicated a decision could come before the end of the week.

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