Trustee lawsuit goes to court

A five-month-old lawsuit against the IU board of trustees saw a courtroom for the first time Friday.\nThe lawsuit claims IU President Myles Brand and the board of trustees deliberately skirted open door laws in September by meeting in two separate groups of four before Brand fired then-men's basketball coach Bob Knight the next day. It asks the court to void Brand's decision and to prevent the trustees from violating the law again.\nLawyers for the University argued for a protective order that would prevent the plaintiffs from deposing Brand or any trustee and limit the plaintiff's discovery process.\nEllen Boshkoff, representing the University, said the trustees have answered and replied to many of the plaintiffs' requests and questions.\n"The case is not about why President Brand decided to end Bob Knight's coaching career," Boshkoff argued. "Whatever the reasons were, they don't change the fact that only four trustees were present during these conversations."\nBoshkoff said the plaintiffs' discovery should be limited for a variety of reasons, including tax-payer cost, efficiency and that depositions could be used for other means than obtaining pertinent information.\n"There is a great danger that discovery will turn into a cross examination of President Brand," Boshkoff told judge Cecile Blau.\nThe University claims a 1987 board of trustees act gave the president sole authority to fire the controversial coach. In court documents, Gojko Kasich, attorney for the plaintiffs, argues that Brand's authority to fire Knight without authorization from the trustees is not clear.\nAfter the hearing, the plaintiffs and their lawyers looked at the minutes of trustee meetings from the past 18 years.\n"I feel really almost insulted that the trustees think they have the right to tell me what I need as evidence," Kasich said. "The trustees are stalling. They're trying to delay things."\nDuring arguments, Kasich offered Blau the opportunity to make an immediate ruling and end the case. Such a ruling would have been in favor of the trustees.\n"She could have just thrown this whole thing out," Kasich said. "But she didn't. That means she's thinking."\nBlau said she would issue a ruling on the protective order as soon as possible. She gave no indication on when that would be.