The Yomiuri Giants and its owner, Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, defeated the club's former general manager, Hidetoshi Kiyotake on Thursday in a lawsuit battle at the Tokyo District Court.
The court's ruling ordered Kiyotake to pay ¥1.6 million in damages for discrediting the Giants side and rejected his suit against his dismissal as general manager.
The court battle came after Kiyotake openly criticized Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings Chairman Tsuneo Watanabe for intervening in the club's coaching change at a news conference and was dismissed as Giants general manager for the criticism in November 2011.
The Giants filed a ¥100 million libel suit against Kiyotake, accusing him of unilaterally releasing a false allegation and of breaching confidentiality. In a counter suit, Kiyotake demanded ¥60 million in damages, saying his dismissal was unjustifiable.
Presiding Judge Akihiko Otake said the dismissal was justifiable as Kiyotake breached his duty of due care as general manager by calling a news conference without approval of the club, and releasing and aborting a confidential personnel change.
The judge also said Kiyotake's open remarks, including an assertion that Watanabe attempted to illegally reverse a fixed personnel change, defamed the Giants side including Watanabe.
Kiyotake and the Giants side have also filed other lawsuits against each other, which are pending at court.