A judge has refused to delay the start of the trial in the Bay Guardian’s lawsuit against the owner of the SF Weekly and East Bay Express. The trial is set to start July 16, 2007. A request by the SF Weekly’s owner, Village Voice Media, to delay the trial until September 2007 was rejected by Judge Richard A. Kramer, according to a report in the Guardian. The Guardian, owned by Bruce Brugmann (pictured), claims the SF Weekly is selling ads at below cost in order to steal the Guardian’s customers away and drive the alt-weekly out of business. The SF Weekly’s owners have denied the claims. Both sides plan to start subpoenaing witnesses.