Judge denies lawsuit against Saugus board

SAUGUS – A judge has rejected a lawsuit by the former Saugus Community Television Board of Directors seeking to regain control over the public access channel.The SCTV Board of Directors filed a suit against the Saugus Board of Selectmen in April after the selectmen voted 4-1 to dissolve the board for not cooperating with them over writing new regulations for SCTV?s return to a nonprofit. After a hearing last Thursday, Salem Superior Court Associate Justice Timothy Feeley delivered his decision Monday that the SCTV board had no evidence to support its claims.The decision states that the SCTV Board of Directors claimed that selectmen interfered with SCTV?s right of free speech and deprived them of due process through “threats, intimidation and coercion,” and that individual members of the Board of Selectmen acted with “intentional interference with advantageous relations” in voting for the board?s dissolution.Feeley?s decision states that there was no evidence to support that any of the selectmen acted for personal reasons. Feeley also wrote that the complaint was more of a “power battle for control” of the television channel, rather than a battle over political expression, and therefore there was no violation of free speech or due process. Feeley wrote that the court “is not clear that it fully understands all the actions” by the selectmen or the SCTV directors that led to the filing of the suit. The court does understand, wrote Feeley, “this case is about power and control of the (public access) channel,” and that the selectmen control the channel because they represent the town involved in the contract, despite the SCTV board?s assertion to the contrary.Former SCTV Board of Directors Chairman Jim Ravagno could not be reached for comment Monday.