A Minneapolis judge today removed Minneapolis Star Tribune publisher Par Ridder, son of former Knight Ridder Tony Ridder, from his job for one year after concluding that he took confidential financal data from his former employer, the rival St. Paul Pioneer Press. In his extraordinary ruling, the judge cited the 39-year-old Ridder’s “cavalier” behavior. He also ordered the Star Tribune to pay the Pioneer Press’s legal fees, estimated at $5 million. The Pioneer Press is owned by owned by Hearst and operated by Dean Singleton’s MediaNews Group. The Star Tribune is owned by the private equity group Avista Capital Partners. [Star Tribune] [AP] [Pioneer Press]