LDS leaders resist Tribune ploy

Top leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say they should not have to testify in a complex lawsuit surrounding the ownership of the Salt Lake Tribune because the subpoenas go beyond what is reasonable.

The Salt Lake Tribune Publishing Co., which manages the daily operations of the newspaper, has subpoenaed LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, his two counselors, Thomas S. Monson and James E. Faust, and F. Michael Watson, secretary to the First Presidency.

Tribune lawyers want the church leaders to talk about the sale of the Tribune by its former owner, AT&T Corp., to the paper's new owner, MediaNews Group Inc.

Church spokesman Bruce Olsen said Thursday that "Neither the church, its First Presidency nor the First Presidency's secretary is a party to the lawsuit. It was brought by the Tribune management company against former and present owners of the Salt Lake Tribune and against Deseret News Publishing Co.

"The church fully supports the proper use of regular court procedures that allow litigants to gather necessary and relevant information while protecting against unreasonable and burdensome demands. In this instance, however, the church believes that the subpoenas go beyond what is reasonable.

"This is a case where the court should determine whether the scope of what is demanded under the subpoenas is much too broad and whether it is readily and more conveniently available from parties to the lawsuit. The court will rule on the protections which the church seeks, and we anticipate that all will comply with the court's instructions."

In addition, LDS Church leaders said in the court documents that they have other pressing matters to attend to, including dedicating six new temples, preparing for the church's general conference in April, calling dozens of new mission presidents and either hosting or attending Olympic events.

Church leaders also say the Tribune Publishing Co.'s request for documents would put an "undue economic burden" on the church to spend hundreds of hours to search for the documents, court records state.

Jim M. Wall, publisher and president of the Deseret News, decried this latest action.

"In a desperate attempt to regain lost ground in a business dispute between the Deseret News and the current managers of the Salt Lake Tribune, the Tribune managers have attempted to improperly embroil the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," Wall said.