Judge: Paterno estate case belongs in Pennsylvania court

While the question of whether the Paterno estate or the NCAA wins the family’s ongoing lawsuit remains, a few other questions were settled this week.

One of them? Whether the case, involving defendants from Indianapolis and Oregon, even belongs in Pennsylvania.

Potter County Senior Judge John Leete says yes.

The family of the late football coach Joe Paterno lives in Pennsylvania. The Sandusky scandal rocked Penn State, and that’s where the NCAA levied its historic sanctions, including the stripping of Paterno’s wins.

“It is beyond dispute that defendants know the consent decree and the statements contained therein were specifically tailored toward the Pennsylvania State University and certain employees of the Pennsylvania State University,” Leete wrote. “Even though plaintiffs’ reputations may have been harmed outside Pennsylvania, the focal point of their alleged harm is within their home state of Pennsylvania. where they worked in visible roles for arguably the most prominent and popular college football program in Pennsylvania ...”

Leete ruled for the Paternos in their request for discovery relating to the consent decree.

This story was originally published September 20, 2016 at 9:20 PM with the headline "Judge: Paterno estate case belongs in Pennsylvania court."