Judge Clears Way For Suit Over APTV Firings

A judge says a fired network executive can go ahead with his lawsuit claiming Alabama Public Television commissioners violated the state's open meetings law by holding a closed-door session to discuss his firing. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Joseph Boohaker issued the ruling Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by Allan Pizzato over his dismissal as executive director of the state's public television network. Pizzato sued after commissioners fired him and another executive. The judge says lawyers can continue collecting evidence, and he scheduled another hearing for Sept. 4. More than a half-dozen members of a board linked to the network and another public television official have quit since the firings. Some commissioners are pushing for Christian-themed programs on the network, and leaders eliminated a diversity clause from its mission statement Copyright 2012 The Associated Press