Dish Again Under Fire Over LightSquared Bid

Dish Network has again come under fire over its takeover bid for a telecommunications firm, a potential deal that could be personally lucrative for Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen.

Shareholders suing the satellite-television company over its handling of an offer for LightSquared argue that two directors appointed by Dish to a committee to evaluate the merits of that lawsuit have close ties to Ergen and the company. The filing said one director, Tom Ortolf, has a daughter who works at Dish; the other, George Brokaw, chose Ergen's wife, Cantey Ergen -- a Dish director named in the shareholder suit -- to be the godmother of his son, according to the documents, which were filed in Clark County, Nevada. Those relationships could compromise their independence in the matter, the shareholders alleged.