By Herald Staff
Boston Herald

Tom Scholz and parties close to him must produce documents that the Herald has subpoenaed to defend itself against a lawsuit the musician has filed against the newspaper, a judge has ordered.

Scholz, founder of the rock band Boston, is suing the Herald over three columns published shortly after the 2007 suicide of Boston lead singer Brad Delp.

Scholz claims the stories misquote Delp's ex-wife and blame him for causing Delp’s death. The Herald denies those charges.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge John C. Cratsley has rejected Scholz’s attempt to effectively shield most documents in the case.

He's also ordered Scholz to hand over full texts of e-mails between Scholz and key witnesses, including some that the Herald’s attorneys say appear to have been "whited out."

The e-mails cited by Herald attorneys include:

• An exchange between Scholz and Brad Delp, written two months before Delp's death, about their relationship.

• An exchange between former Boston band member Barry Goudreau and Scholz shortly after Delp's suicide. Goudreau, who is Delp's former brother-in-law, gave his views about potential reasons for Delp's depression, about Scholz's and Delp's relationship and about Scholz's relationships with former Boston members and their families.