Also this issue: Sam I Am Mayoral candidate Sam Katz purrs about Santorum, Dems who support him and begging for cash. Don't Tread on Me Ain’t no black folks buried under here, but you whites better watch out anyway. -Deborah Bolling Byko Bye Bye? Philly’s gossip king seeks new dominion. -Deborah Bolling Gorilla Thrilla (And Beanie Sigel Too) -Brendan McGarvey I'm My Own Man -Mary F. Patel The Bell Curve City Paper's weekly gauge of Philly's Quality of Life

July 10-16, 2003

city beat

Trainsuing

High-ranking sources inside the Metro say the organization is prepared to file a $10 million lawsuit against SEPTA by mid-month, citing distribution interference and SEPTA's abuse of its daily page in the paper, originally slated for transportation announcements, but recently being used for advertisements that compete with the free newspaper.

"We¹re paying SEPTA $45,000 a month for exclusive rights to their system, but we¹re competing with the Inquirer, the Daily News and even City Paper also being available at those sites," says an insider who asked for anonymity. "We went through a contract resolution process for over a year, but they refuse to deal with us. They don¹t care about their vendors at all -- it¹s similar to the way they treat their riders."

SEPTA spokesperson Richard Maloney says his organization is unfamiliar with the lawsuit being threatened by Metro. "We¹ve received no notification of intent and we are not necessarily aware of their issues." Maloney said the company had nothing further to add.

—Deborah Bolling