Lawyer says defense attorney helped Penn State edit release

(AP) — Penn State's former general counsel testified Tuesday that several days before two high-ranking administrators were charged over their handling of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, the school's then-president let the men's defense lawyers review and suggest changes to a statement he later issued that voiced his full support for them.

Cynthia Baldwin told jurors about email exchanges that ensued with defense attorneys Tom Farrell and Caroline Roberto shortly before their clients were charged with perjury, failure to properly report suspected abuse and other offenses in November 2011.

Baldwin said someone at the attorney general's office had told her the charges were coming against Gary Schultz, then the school's vice president for business and finance, and Tim Curley, then the athletic director.

In addition to the defamation allegation, the lawsuit also claims McQueary was retaliated against for helping police and prosecutors convict Sandusky, and that Curley and Schultz committed a misrepresentation by falsely making him think they took his report seriously and would respond accordingly.

The university's defense has been that his contract was not renewed, he was paid 18 months' severance, and that damage to his reputation was in part because of public outrage that he did not intervene physically to stop Sandusky's abuse of the boy.