A California State Court of Appeal has affirmed a 2011 ruling which ordered Santa Barbara Independent publisher Randy Campbell to sell his 51 percent stake in the paper to editor-in-chief Marianne Partridge.

The appeals court has ordered a new trial, however, to determine the purchase price of Campbell’s shares.

“In all other respects, the judgment is affirmed,” said the court. (PDF)

“I’m disappointed in the opinion, which reversed one but not both of the lower court rulings we appealed,” said Campbell in an email. “I have yet to discuss with counsel the next step. And. of course, my lawsuit against my former attorney Joe Cole for his participation in this shareholder argument remains ongoing.”

AAN has reached out to Partridge for comment and will update this post upon response.