This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

With his purchase of The Salt Lake Tribune pending, Utah businessman Paul Huntsman met Tuesday with members of a grass-roots group suing Salt Lake City's two dailies over their business dealings.

Ending the federal lawsuit by Citizens for Two Voices and a separate Department of Justice antitrust investigation are conditions for the sale to go through, several sources have said.

But it remained unclear what transpired at Tuesday's huddle. Reached after the meeting, Huntsman, 46, said he could not comment; the grass-roots group's main attorney, Karra Porter, was similarly tight-lipped.

"The group is still gathering information," Porter said, offering no further details.

Huntsman, son of industrialist-philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr. and younger brother to former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., announced in late April he had signed an agreement to buy The Tribune from its current owner, the New York-based newspaper chain Digital First Media.

Paul Huntsman, who runs his Huntsman family's private-equity investment fund, said at the time he hoped "to ensure The Tribune's independent voice for future generations," but that he would withhold further comment until the transaction is complete.

Porter has said the parties are trying to clarify any issues with the sale by mid-May. Attorneys for the group, The Tribune's corporate overseers and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-owned Deseret News have been in regular contact since the sale announcement.

The lawsuit, brought by former Tribune employees and community members, and the DOJ probe have focused on a fall 2013 redrafting of a longstanding business partnership between The Tribune and the News.

Negotiated by then-Digital First Media CEO John Paton and executives at the News without local Tribune managers' involvement, the changes halved The Tribune's revenues from the partnership, shifted control of joint operations to the News and sold off The Tribune's interest in West Valley City printing facilities.

Critics say the deal — signed in exchange for a one-time cash payment by the News to Digital First Media — broke antitrust laws and damaged The Tribune's financial ability to survive. It remains unclear whether the revenue shares of the two newspapers would be changed as part of a Huntsman purchase.

Citizens for Two Voices sued in June 2014 to have the new partnership contract thrown out, including provisions that gave the News veto power over prospective Tribune ownership.

Twitter: @TonySemerad