Boston – Turner Broadcasting Systems and an advertising agency agreed Monday to pay $2 million in compensation for planting blinking electronic devices around the Boston area in a publicity stunt that set off a terrorism scare.
The agreement Turner and Interference Inc. made with several state and local agencies resolves any potential civil or criminal claims against the two companies, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said.
“We hope that this painful lesson will not be lived or learned again either by the communities involved or … Turner Broadcasting and Interference,” she said.
Bomb squads were called in and bridges and highways were shut down Wednesday when authorities found more than three dozen electronic boards depicting a cartoon character offering an obscene gesture.
The devices – planted in a subway station, on bridges and other spots – turned out to be part of a publicity campaign for Cartoon Network’s “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” The campaign had been staged in nine other U.S. cities without drawing as much attention.
“We understand now that in today’s post-Sept. 11 environment, it was reasonable and appropriate for citizens and law enforcement officials to take any perceived threat posed by our light boards very seriously and to respond as they did,” Turner and Interference said in a statement.
Officials said $1 million will reimburse the agencies that dealt with the incident and $1 million will go toward homeland security and other programs.
“Last week’s events caused a major disruption in the greater Boston area on many levels,” Coakley said, “crippling public transportation, causing serious traffic problems, negatively affecting local businesses and perhaps most significantly, costing Boston and surrounding communities thousands of dollars.”
Authorities said two men were paid to hang the devices. Coakley said prosecutors were in discussions with the men’s lawyers to resolve their charges “relatively shortly.”
