Ex-Penn State President Files Libel Lawsuit Papers

Penn State's former president Graham Spanier is initiating a libel and defamation case against Louis Freeh, the former FBI director whose university-funded report blamed Spanier and other high-ranking school officials for failing to protect children from convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky.

Spanier's lawyer filed paperwork Thursday in Centre County that describes the case as "slander/libel/defamation." It disclosed little about the nature of his claims.

The filing comes one day before the one-year anniversary of Freeh's report, which concluded that Spanier, late football coach Joe Paterno and others failed to protect children from Paterno's longtime assistant.

Under Pennsylvania law, those who believe they have been libeled or defamed have a year to initiate a civil lawsuit.

Calls seeking comment left for Freeh and for Spanier lawyer Elizabeth Ainslie weren't returned.

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