Judge Orders Gates To Appear In Court

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates has been ordered to appear in court next week to settle a lawsuit filed by a Seattle television news reporter.

Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto also ordered Dole Food Chairman David Murdock to be on hand to discuss a settlement with Scott Rensberger, a KIRO-TV reporter.

Rensberger sued Gates and Dole last year after he was arrested while trying to cover Gates’ wedding on New Years’s Day 1994 on the island of Lanai, which is almost entirely owned by a Dole subsidiary.

Lawyers for Gates weren’t sure if he could make it to court, and the judge said if Gates couldn’t appear, he should send someone who could settle the lawsuit.

Attorneys for Murdock said a lawyer for Dole’s insurance company would be present to negotiate a settlement.