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Last updated April 16, 2007 11:17 a.m. PT

JOA Timeline

  • 1983: Declaring itself a "failing newspaper" under federal law, The Seattle P-I combines its business operations with those of The Seattle Times under a joint operating agreement, or JOA.

  • 1999: The JOA is amended to let the Times publish in the morning.

  • 2000-01: For 49 days, editorial workers at both papers strike.

  • April 28, 2003: P-I owner The Hearst Corp. preemptively sues The Seattle Times Co. to prevent it from ending the JOA.

  • April 29, 2003: The Times Co. says it has lost money three years in a row under the JOA, giving it the right to exit the JOA.

  • Sept. 25, 2003: King County Superior Court Judge Greg Canova rules that the JOA's force majeure clause prevents the Times from using its strike-related losses in 2000 and 2001 to end the JOA.

  • March 22, 2004: A three-judge panel of the state appeals court reverses Canova's decision.

  • June 30, 2005: The Washington Supreme Court unanimously affirms the appellate court's ruling.

  • March 30, 2006: The papers' owners agree to remove their dispute from public litigation, instead entering confidential, binding arbitration before former King County Superior Court Judge Larry Jordan.

  • February 20, 2007: The Committee for a Two-Newspaper Town, saying it represents the public interest, files a motion before Canova seeking to void parts of the JOA as a way of keeping both papers alive. The motion is later set for hearing July 20, 2007.

  • April 6: The owners agree to postpone the beginning of the arbitration hearing for one week, to April 16 from April 9. Seattle Times President Carolyn Kelly in an e-mail to staff cites "scheduling issues and complexity" to explain the delay.

  • April 16: The litigation between the Hearst Corp., the publisher of the Seattle P-I, and The Seattle Times Co. is settled. As part of the agreement, Hearst will pay the Seattle Times $25 million in exchange for the Seattle Times to agree not to issue any loss notice until at least 2016.

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