Ad exec sues Adweek and former editor at large

A former executive at the Martin Agency is suing industry publication Adweek and its former editor-at-large Patrick Coffee, reports Ann-Christine Diaz of Ad Age.

Diaz reports, “The complaint also claims that Adweek and Coffee acted ‘in concert with or on behalf of DMA and the DMA Doe Defendants, published a damning indictment of Joe, citing unnamed ‘sources,’ anonymous ‘women,’ an unidentified ‘former executive,’ and unidentified ‘former employees’ and ‘former co-workers,’’ referring to a December 2017 article repeatedly referred to in the suit as the ‘Adweek Hit Piece.’

“Alexander is seeking compensatory and punitive damages to the tune of $25,350,000, along with additional fees, including those related to court costs and expenses. He’s seeking damages ‘for the extreme insult, pain, embarrassment, humiliation, mental suffering’ and destruction of his career and reputation, as well as financial loss due to contract interference, ‘common law conspiracy,’ defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, the suit says.”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.