By Dan Horn
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The parent company of The Cincinnati Enquirer will pay $550,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by former editor Lawrence K. Beaupre, who had accused the company of making him a scapegoat for the legal debacle involving Chiquita Brands International Inc.

Company officials confirmed Tuesday that Mr. Beaupre agreed to drop his lawsuit in exchange for a $200,000 severance package and a payment of $350,000 in legal fees to his attorneys.

The settlement resolves a case that began nearly three years ago when Mr. Beaupre sued the Enquirer's parent company, Gannett Co. Inc.

Mr. Beaupre's lawsuit claimed that high-ranking company officials ruined his reputation to protect the company from legal action resulting from articles the Enquirer published in 1998 about Chiquita's business practices.

The newspaper later renounced the articles and fired the lead reporter, Michael Gallagher, accusing him of lying about how he obtained tapes from Chiquita's corporate voice-mail system.

The newspaper also published a front-page apology to Chiquita and paid the Cincinnati-based company a $14 million settlement.

Mr. Beaupre was reassigned to a job at Gannett's corporate headquarters. He has since left the company and is now managing editor of the Scranton Times Tribune newspapers in Scranton, Pa.

Neither Mr. Beaupre nor his attorneys returned phone messages left at their offices Tuesday.

In a written statement, Gannett officials said they were "happy to have this litigation behind us."

A company spokeswoman, Tara Connell, said the $200,000 paid to Mr. Beaupre is about the same severance he would have received as part of a regular retirement package. She said another $350,000 will go to Mr. Beaupre's lawyers.

The settlement resolves one of two major lawsuits stemming from the Chiquita case.

The other suit was filed against the Enquirer by George Ventura, a former Chiquita employee. Mr. Ventura claims he was a confidential source for the articles about Chiquita and was exposed to criminal prosecution when the newspaper broke a promise to protect his identity. That case is still pending in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati.

E-mail dhorn@enquirer.com