A federal judge on Monday shielded Michigan State University President Samuel Stanley, Jr. from being deposed in a lawsuit aimed at preserving the school's women's swimming and diving teams that were cut last year.
But Magistrate Judge Phillip Green of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan ruled that MSU Athletic Director Alan Haller must give a deposition but set limits on the length of the legal proceeding and parameters for topics he can be questioned about.
Eleven women from MSU's swimming and diving teams sued the university, Stanley, former Athletic Director Bill Beekman and the Board of Trustees in January 2021 after the university announced it was planning to eliminate the programs for men and women after the 2020-21 season.