A federal judge said former Penn State president Graham Spanier's defamation lawsuit against former FBI director Louis Freeh must start with a local judge.
U.S. District Judge Malachy Mannion on Wednesday ordered the case back to Centre County. He said he can't determine whether federal court is the proper jurisdiction before a complaint is filed.
Spanier's attorneys last year filed notice in Centre County court they intend to sue Freeh. Spanier previously won the right to postpone a lawsuit until he defends himself on criminal charges in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
Freeh criticized Spanier's handling of the scandal in a report commissioned by the university.
In July, Freeh's attorneys got the case moved to federal court, in part because he's not a Pennsylvania resident. He's from Wilmington, Delaware.
