Overview
- U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson and Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Preston Deavers denied Les Wexner’s motion to quash and rejected his request for a protective order.
- The court compelled Wexner to appear for a deposition within 60 days as part of three lawsuits against Ohio State University tied to Richard Strauss.
- The order cites Wexner’s roles on the OSU board as grounds to let plaintiffs probe what he knew and when regarding Strauss and institutional oversight.
- Wexner, who is not accused of wrongdoing in the Strauss cases, maintains he never communicated about Strauss and had no knowledge of allegations during his tenure.
- Public and governmental scrutiny of Wexner has escalated, with an unredacted FBI document naming him an Epstein co-conspirator, a House Oversight order to testify on Feb. 18, and OSU reviewing renewed petitions to remove his name from campus facilities.