Since when is a motion for summary dismissal of a lawsuit news worthy of front-page coverage? When it's about SCSU and a discrimination suit, I guess.

St. Cloud State University and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system have asked a Ramsey County judge to dismiss a libel lawsuit brought by a former dean at St. Cloud State against the school's student newspaper.

The motion to dismiss the lawsuit, filed by an attorney from the state Attorney General's Office, said the university and MnSCU can't be sued because they have no editorial control over the paper. The paper is produced by students and funded by student activity fees.

This is of course the story we've already run here several times. The Times used a new reporter on this case, who obviously has not read enough to know the facts of the case, such as the retraction. But more importantly, motions for summary dismissal are SOP in law. As one lawyer pointed out to me today, the motion is mostly an annoyance requiring Lewis to spend money on the brief to deny the motion. Few of these motions ever succeed. So why is it news? And why the new writer on this article?