Lane's civil case vs. Mendte, CBS to be tried in Philly

THE STATE Supreme Court has ruled that the much-anticipated trial of Alycia Lane's civil suit against her former co-anchor Larry Mendte and their ex-employer, CBS, will remain in Philadelphia.

Lane and her attorney, Paul Rosen, wanted the case to be tried here. CBS had filed an appeal to change the venue to New York, arguing that Lane's contract contained a clause saying that cases against the network should be heard in New York courts.

Lane alleges in her lawsuit that Mendte illegally hacked into her email accounts and leaked details to the media. Lane alleges that CBS ignored her suspicions that someone was disseminating messages and photos from her emails. CBS promised to investigate but failed to follow through, she claims.

In 2008, Mendte pleaded guilty to the email intrusion and was sentenced to six months of house arrest and probation. Lane filed the lawsuit that year.

"CBS wanted to prevent it from being tried in Philly," Rosen said yesterday. "In New York, the public doesn't know Alycia Lane. There are no claims under her contract which would permit the trial to be tried in New York. So the trial can be held in the city of her choice and where the harm was done to her."

"I had already won this challenge four times, twice in lower court, and twice in appellate court," Rosen said.

An attorney for CBS did not respond to a request for comment.

Mendte's attorney, Julia Morrow, said: "We respect the Supreme Court's ruling. Now it's time to go to trial."