Pender Post lawsuit drops claims against 3 county commissioners

BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — An update to the ongoing legal battle between the newspaper of record in Pender County and a case it’s making against 3 county commissioners.

Andy Pettigrew owns the Pender Topsail Post and Voice.

Last year, the paper ran a series of editorials and cartoons depicting Commissioners Randy Burton, Brent Springer, and Jerry Graves as puppets of the county’s Republican Party leadership.

Pettigrew claims the commissioner, both as individuals and in their official capacity, violated his rights of free speech and press by voting to pull county advertising from the Pender Post and redirect the business to the Wilmington Star News.

Both Springer and Pettigrew tell WWAY the individual claims against the commissioners have been dropped.

In a statement to WWAY, Pettigrew said, “Although we feel strongly they continue to be personally responsible, continued pursuit of the individual claim costs both time and money. Burton, Springer, and Groves are using taxpayer money to pay their legal costs. We are not.”

The case against the commissioners in their official capacity will proceed. The commissioners say they are not available to make any further comment.