DULUTH - The Minnesota Court of Appeals said two Duluth district judges erred in a case that pits a local preservationist again the city of Duluth and the Duluth News Tribune.
Dr. Eric Ringsred, who has owned several area historic properties including the infamous Pastoret Terrace, also the subject of legal battles with the city of Duluth, initially sued the city and the newspaper in 2020 alleging defamation, among other matters. The suit claimed the former city attorney, Gunnar Johnson, made false statements about Ringsred and the Pastoret property, which the newspaper published.
The statements included one in which Johnson said structural damage to the Pastoret Terrace, onetime home of the Kozy Bar, occurred while Ringsred owned the property. Johnson had held a news conference in front of the building after a judge's decision favored the city in its plan to demolish the building.
The defamation case was largely dismissed, and the court later denied Ringsred's efforts to amend his complaint with additional defendants, dismissing the remainder of the defamation claims. Ringsred appealed the decisions.
Ringsred also alleges the city interfered with his First Amendment rights by making those false statements in retaliation for his previous lawsuits against the city.
The 19-page Appeals Court decision by a panel of three judges allows Ringsred to continue pursuing his case in District Court. The panel said Ringsred should've been allowed to amend his complaint to bring claims against others, including Mayor Emily Larson and a former and current city councilor. It did dismiss some defamation claims against the city.
The panel sent the case back to District Court, saying Ringsred is allowed to file an amended complaint alleging defamation claims against the Duluth News Tribune; First Amendment retaliation claims against the city and Larson; and defamation and First Amendment retaliation claims against the former and current city councilor.
Kelli Latuska, a spokeswoman for the city of Duluth, declined to comment on the decision. Neal Ronquist, publisher of the Duluth News Tribune, also declined to comment.
