(Source: www.bcdb.com)
Turner Broadcasting and Interference Inc. agreed to pay out over $2 million in apology money after a promotional stunt for the upcoming Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie went awry, says Massachusetts attorney General Martha Coakley. (Click here, here and here for background on this story.)
Any and all possible civil and criminal claims against Turner and Interference have been resolved as a result of this payout, Coakley told a news conference yesterday. Boston mayor Thomas Menino was also in attendance.
"We are fortunate that no one was injured," Coakley said at the conference. "We hope that this painful lesson will not be lived or learned again either by the communities involved or . . . Turner Broadcasting and Interference. In one sense, all's well that end's well, and we hope shortly we can put this behind us, but trust that this kind of episode won't be repeated, all the while understanding that we can be no less diligent as perceived threats occur in the future."
Turner Broadcasting issued a public statement accepting full responsibility and apologizing for the "unconventional marketing tactic" and for hardships caused to residents of the Boston area.
"We understand now that in today's post-Sept. 11 environment," the statement went, "it was reasonable and appropriate for citizens and law enforcement officials to take any perceived threat posed by our light boards very seriously and to respond as they did."
As part of the deal, $1 million will be used to reimburse agencies such as the Boston police. The other $1 million will be used to fund programs like homeland security. The city of Boston will receive $140,232 in direct service reimbursements, $102,063 in other restitution and $242,295 in homeland security money.
The Metropolitan Boston Transport Authority, whose commuter services were disrupted by the scare, will get $315,198, the largest homeland security grant. It will also receive $182,426 in reimbursements and $132,772 in restitution.
Coakley also said that prosecutors were sitting down with Sean Stevens and Peter Berdovsky's lawyer to resolve the charges without going to trial. The two Interference employees were arrested after one of the devices was found in Sullivan subway station.
The attorney general also defended the Stevens and Berdovsky's decision to only discuss 1970's hair fashions, noting that the men weren't allowed to discuss the trial in public without compromising due process.
"What they did afterwards can't influence us as prosecutors," she said.
Boston mayor Menino castigated commentators and late-night comedians for mocking what they saw as an overreaction by Boston authorities.
"Shame on them," he said.
