Delay of ex-Penn State official's lawsuit affirmed

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — A judge has reaffirmed his decision to let former Penn State president Graham Spanier put off his defamation lawsuit against former FBI director Louis Freeh and his law firm.

The judge Tuesday denied Freeh's motion for reconsideration of the Feb. 25 order granting Spanier's request.

Spanier faces criminal charges in an alleged cover-up of complaints about retired assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who is now in prison on child sexual abuse convictions.

Without the delay, the judge says, Spanier would face a decision about whether to testify in the civil case and potentially jeopardize his criminal defense.

Freeh produced a report on the Sandusky matter for Penn State in 2012 that was highly critical of Spanier, former head coach Joe Paterno and two former Penn State administrators.