After negotiating for nearly a half-hour,
attorneys for Attorney General Bill Schuette and for the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) reached an agreement Tuesday
that will have Governor Rick Snyder answering questions under oath relative to
the bankruptcy filing for the City of Detroit.
The agreement entails that the deposition
will be limited to three hours. There has been no specific date or time
scheduled for the deposition due to Governor Snyder’s current Asian trade
mission. The agreement also states that State Treasurer Andy Dillon and one of
Snyder’s top aides, Richard Baird, may also be deposed depending on the
Governor’s deposition.
Arguments were heard from both sides during
the hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes, based largely on the
question of privilege and relevancy. Ultimately Judge Rhodes, clearly annoyed
with the State’s late filing of a motion to quash the union’s request for
deposition, decided to give both sides an opportunity to come to an agreement
without ruling.