Former cabinet minister Cauchon makes late entry into Liberal leadership race

OTTAWA - Former cabinet minister Martin Cauchon is making a late entry into the already crowded federal Liberal leadership race.
Cauchon submitted his nomination papers and $75,000 entry fee just hours before the party's registration deadline of midnight Sunday.
Assuming everything is in order and is verified by the party in the next day or two, Cauchon will become the ninth candidate seeking to lead the once-mighty party out of the political wilderness.
He is expected to officially launch his campaign later in the week, just in time for Sunday's first leadership debate in Vancouver.
Cauchon, who as justice minister spearheaded the move to decriminalize marijuana and legalize same-sex marriage, will likely position himself as a champion of progressive Liberalism amid a leadership field that has so far shown a pronounced rightward tilt.
He waded into the fray before Christmas, blasting front-runner Justin Trudeau for calling the Chretien-era long-gun registry a failure and urging leadership contenders to have the "backbone" to stick with traditional Liberal principles.
Cauchon retired from politics in 2004; his attempt at a comeback in 2011 in his old Montreal riding of Outremont was thwarted by Tom Mulcair, now NDP leader.
He will be the third candidate from Quebec in the current contest, along with Trudeau and fellow Montreal MP Marc Garneau, Canada's first astronaut.
The other candidates who've been officially confirmed by the party are: Vancouver MP Joyce Murray, former Toronto MP Martha Hall Findlay, Toronto lawyers George Takach and Deborah Coyne, retired Canadian Forces officer Karen McCrimmon and Ottawa lawyer David Bertschi.
Cauchon's last-minute entry could prove problematic. Trudeau, who launched his campaign in early October, is widely perceived to have a huge head start, both in terms of fundraising and recruiting supporters. The others have been stumping the country, drumming up support, since at least November.
Murray, who advocates one-time electoral co-operation with the NDP and Greens, has already established herself as the lone left-wing voice and has garnered support from some prominent progressive Liberals, such as former cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy.
However, Cauchon is a respected figure in the party, particularly among Chretien loyalists, and still has time to make his mark during five crucial debates.
The contest will culminate with the election of a new leader on April 14.

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Ravens-Patriots redux for AFC title after New England beats Houston 41-28

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Tom Brady became the winningest quarterback in post-season play, throwing for three touchdowns Sunday to beat Houston 41-28 and lift the New England Patriots into the AFC championship game.
Brady got his 17th victory, surpassing his childhood hero, Joe Montana, by throwing for 344 yards. Seldom-used running back Shane Vereen scored three times, twice on receptions.
If Brady can lead the Patriots (13-4) past Baltimore (12-6) in next Sunday's conference title game, then win the Super Bowl, he'll equal the 49ers' Hall of Famer for NFL championships.
The Patriots and Ravens are meeting for the AFC title for the second straight year. Baltimore, which stunned top-seeded Denver in double overtime Saturday, lost 23-20 at Gillette Stadium last January.
Houston (13-5) performed far better than in a 42-14 loss here last month. But the Texans couldn't slow down Brady.

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Thousands converge on Eiffel Tower in mass protest against gay marriage

PARIS - Holding aloft ancient flags and young children, hundreds of thousands of people converged Sunday on the Eiffel Tower to protest the French president's plan to legalize gay marriage and thus allow same-sex couples to adopt and conceive children.
The opposition to President Francois Hollande's plan has underscored divisions among the secular-but-Catholic French, especially more traditional rural areas versus urban enclaves. But while polls show the majority of French still support legalizing gay marriage, that backing gets more lukewarm when children come into play.
The protest march started at three points across Paris, filling boulevards throughout the city as demonstrators walked six kilometres (3 miles) to the grounds of France's most recognizable monument. Paris police estimated the crowd at 340,000, making it one of the largest demonstrations in Paris since an education protest in 1984.
"This law is going to lead to a change of civilization that we don't want," said Philippe Javaloyes, a literature teacher who bused in with 300 people from Franche Comte in the far east. "We have nothing against different ways of living, but we think that a child must grow up with a mother and a father."
Public opposition spearheaded by religious leaders has chipped away at the popularity of Hollande's plan in recent months. About 52 per cent of French favour legalizing gay marriage, according to a survey released Sunday, down from as high as 65 per cent in August.
French civil unions, allowed since 1999, are at least as popular among heterosexuals as among gay and lesbian couples. But that law has no provisions for adoption or assisted reproduction, which are at the heart of the latest debate.
Hollande's Socialist Party has sidestepped the debate on assisted reproduction, promising to examine it in March after party members split on including it in the latest proposal. That hasn't assuaged the concerns of many in Sunday's protest, however, who fear it's only a matter of time.
"They're talking about putting into national identity cards Parent 1, Parent 2, Parent 3, Parent 4. Mom, dad and the kids are going to be wiped off the map, and that's going to be bad for any country, any civilization," said Melissa Michel, a Franco-American mother of five who was among a group from the south of France on a train reserved specifically for the protest.
Support for gay marriage — and especially adoption by same-sex couples — has been particularly tenuous outside Paris, and people from hundreds of miles from the French capital marched Sunday beneath regional flags with emblems dating back to the Middle Ages, chanting "Daddy, Mommy."
If the French parliament approves the plan, France would become the 12th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, and the biggest so far in terms of economic and diplomatic influence.
Harlem Desir, the leader of Hollande's Socialist Party, said the protest would not affect the proposal's progress. The Socialists control Parliament, where the bill is expected to be introduced on Tuesday, with a vote following public debate at the end of January.
"The right to protest is protected in our country, but the Socialists are determined to give the legal right to marry and adopt to all those who love each other," he said. "This is the first time in decades in our country that the right and the extreme right are coming into the streets together to deny new rights to the French.

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UPDATE 1-NBA-Microsoft's Ballmer and Seattle group set to buy Kings-report

* Deal worth $500 million
* Report says team will move to old Supersonics home
* Sacramento mayor desperate to keep team
SEATTLE/SACRAMENTO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - A group of investors led by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Corp CEO Steve Ballmer is close to a deal to buy the Sacramento Kings basketball team for $500 million and move the franchise to Seattle, Yahoo Sports reported on Wednesday.
The Maloof family, which has wrangled with the city of Sacramento for years over a new arena and held talks with other cities about moving the team, has now agreed to sell, the report said, citing league sources.
Reuters could not confirm the report. The Sacramento Kings did not immediately respond to phone calls or emails seeking comment.
Under the reported deal, the Kings would play for two seasons in KeyArena, the stomping ground of the Seattle Supersonics before the team's 2008 move to Oklahoma City, and then move into a new facility, Yahoo reported.
The National Basketball Association franchise is Sacramento's only major sports team, and its mayor, Kevin Johnson, is a former NBA star.
"I'm going to make every effort that I can possibly do to identify a potential buyer that will ensure that the Sacramento Kings remain in Sacramento," Johnson told reporters on Wednesday.
American cities often clash over sports franchises, which are seen as economic engines and a source of civic pride. The value of sports franchises has soared in recent years, largely as a result of pay television contracts.
Johnson promised to locate buyers, mentioning billionaire supermarket mogul Ron Burkle as having expressed an interest in the past.
"It appears to me for the first time that they have possibly shown a desire to sell the team, and that's what I think is significant today," Johnson said, referring to the Maloof family.
Seattle sports fans were infuriated by the loss of the Supersonics and have pined for a new NBA team ever since. Hansen last year gained city council approval for a new $490 million arena near the waterfront south of downtown.
Ballmer, the NBA and representatives for Hansen all declined to comment. Seattle city officials told Reuters they were aware of the rumors, but were not in a position to comment.
SOFTWARE AND SPORTS
Ballmer's potential involvement reflects a strong connection between the software giant and local sports.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen owns the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, and is a part-owner of the Seattle Sounders, the soccer team. Microsoft's longtime head of human resources, Lisa Brummel, is a part-owner of the Seattle Storm women's basketball team.
Ballmer himself is an avid basketball fan and sometime player, who used to scrimmage regularly before work with other employees in a gym near the company's campus.
When the Supersonics moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder, its owner faulted Seattle officials for not coming up with a plan to replace the aging KeyArena. Many fans, though bitter, still sport Supersonics jerseys on the streets of Seattle.
Professional sports have enjoyed a recent resurgence in the city, with the NFL's Seahawks enjoying success on the field in a relatively new stadium, and the Sounders soccer team boasting the best attendance in the MLS.
Despite resistance from unions and others who fear a third stadium by the city docks will crimp freight transport, the majority of locals favor a new basketball arena and local politicians now embrace the idea.
The city council in October signed off on an agreement struck between would-be franchise owner Hansen, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine.
But McGinn was coy when asked about the report on Wednesday.
"I know as much as you do about the Sonics," McGinn told reporters at a re-election news conference on Wednesday. "But if it's true, ain't it cool?"
Industry observers say there are still a number of factors that could undermine any potential agreement.
Hansen has spent millions of dollars on land south of downtown Seattle to house a new arena, but locating it there is contingent upon the outcome of an environmental assessment and a review of other potential sites.
"It's not a done deal. There are discussions, I'm told," said Marc Ganis, president of consultancy SportsCorp Ltd in Chicago, who is not involved in the deal. "There are lots of unknowns. I think $500 million sounds like the right range."
The Kings have appeared to be on the brink of leaving their host city in past years.
The Maloofs opened talks with officials in Anaheim to move the team to the Orange County city in 2011, but NBA officials convinced them to give Sacramento another year to get a deal for a new arena in place. Then, last August, reports circulated that the Maloofs were talking with officials about moving to Virginia Beach, Va.
"We want to be an NBA city with an NBA team, and we want that team to be the Sacramento Kings," Johnson said on Wednesday.

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Microsoft's Ballmer and Seattle group set to buy Kings - report

October 29, 2012. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
SEATTLE/SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - A group of investors led by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Corp CEO Steve Ballmer is close to a deal to buy the Sacramento Kings basketball team for $500 million and move the franchise to Seattle, Yahoo Sports reported on Wednesday.
The Maloof family, which has wrangled with the city of Sacramento for years over a new arena and held talks with other cities about moving the team, has now agreed to sell, the report said, citing league sources.
Reuters could not confirm the report. The Sacramento Kings did not immediately respond to phone calls or emails seeking comment.
Under the reported deal, the Kings would play for two seasons in KeyArena, the stomping ground of the Seattle Supersonics before the team's 2008 move to Oklahoma City, and then move into a new facility, Yahoo reported.
The National Basketball Association franchise is Sacramento's only major sports team, and its mayor, Kevin Johnson, is a former NBA star.
"I'm going to make every effort that I can possibly do to identify a potential buyer that will ensure that the Sacramento Kings remain in Sacramento," Johnson told reporters on Wednesday.
American cities often clash over sports franchises, which are seen as economic engines and a source of civic pride. The value of sports franchises has soared in recent years, largely as a result of pay television contracts.
Johnson promised to locate buyers, mentioning billionaire supermarket mogul Ron Burkle as having expressed an interest in the past.
"It appears to me for the first time that they have possibly shown a desire to sell the team, and that's what I think is significant today," Johnson said, referring to the Maloof family.
Seattle sports fans were infuriated by the loss of the Supersonics and have pined for a new NBA team ever since. Hansen last year gained city council approval for a new $490 million arena near the waterfront south of downtown.
Ballmer, the NBA and representatives for Hansen all declined to comment. Seattle city officials told Reuters they were aware of the rumors, but were not in a position to comment.
SOFTWARE AND SPORTS
Ballmer's potential involvement reflects a strong connection between the software giant and local sports.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen owns the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, and is a part-owner of the Seattle Sounders, the soccer team. Microsoft's longtime head of human resources, Lisa Brummel, is a part-owner of the Seattle Storm women's basketball team.
Ballmer himself is an avid basketball fan and sometime player, who used to scrimmage regularly before work with other employees in a gym near the company's campus.
When the Supersonics moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder, its owner faulted Seattle officials for not coming up with a plan to replace the aging KeyArena. Many fans, though bitter, still sport Supersonics jerseys on the streets of Seattle.
Professional sports have enjoyed a recent resurgence in the city, with the NFL's Seahawks enjoying success on the field in a relatively new stadium, and the Sounders soccer team boasting the best attendance in the MLS.
Despite resistance from unions and others who fear a third stadium by the city docks will crimp freight transport, the majority of locals favor a new basketball arena and local politicians now embrace the idea.
The city council in October signed off on an agreement struck between would-be franchise owner Hansen, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine.
But McGinn was coy when asked about the report on Wednesday.
"I know as much as you do about the Sonics," McGinn told reporters at a re-election news conference on Wednesday. "But if it's true, ain't it cool?"
Industry observers say there are still a number of factors that could undermine any potential agreement.
Hansen has spent millions of dollars on land south of downtown Seattle to house a new arena, but locating it there is contingent upon the outcome of an environmental assessment and a review of other potential sites.
"It's not a done deal. There are discussions, I'm told," said Marc Ganis, president of consultancy SportsCorp Ltd in Chicago, who is not involved in the deal. "There are lots of unknowns. I think $500 million sounds like the right range."
The Kings have appeared to be on the brink of leaving their host city in past years.
The Maloofs opened talks with officials in Anaheim to move the team to the Orange County city in 2011, but NBA officials convinced them to give Sacramento another year to get a deal for a new arena in place. Then, last August, reports circulated that the Maloofs were talking with officials about moving to Virginia Beach, Va.
"We want to be an NBA city with an NBA team, and we want that team to be the Sacramento Kings," Johnson said on Wednesday.

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UPDATE 8-NBA results

Jan 10 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the NBA games on Wednesday (home team in CAPS)
TORONTO 90 Philadelphia 72
Utah 112 CHARLOTTE 102
CLEVELAND 99 Atlanta 83
BOSTON 87 Phoenix 79
Milwaukee 104 CHICAGO 96
NEW ORLEANS 88 Houston 79
SAN ANTONIO 108 LA Lakers 105
OKLAHOMA CITY 106 Minnesota 84
DENVER 108 Orlando 105
LA CLIPPERS 99 Dallas 93
Memphis 94 GOLDEN STATE 87

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Israel Is OK with Hagel as Secretary of Defense

Republicans trying to raise a case against confirming Chuck Hagel have cited not so kind remarks about Israel -- or "the Jews," as he's been quoted calling them -- as a reason not to confirm, but that could be a hard sell when Israel's departing Deputy Foreign Minister thinks Hagel is an alright guy.
RELATED: If Chuck Hagel Won't Be Secretary of Defense, Who Will Be?
Talking Points Memo's Josh Marshall first pointed out Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon comments at a meeting with Jewish leaders Thursday. Haaretz's Chemi Chalev reports Ayalon told the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations that Hagel is a "decent and fair interlocutor who believes in the natural partnership between Israel and the United States."
RELATED: Get Ready for the Great Chuck Hagel Confirmation Fight of 2013
While the list of people officially opposed to Hagel's nomination is not long, they are certainly a vocal bunch. Hagel's been hung over the fire for a number of things since rumors swirled that he would be nominated Secretary of Defense. Hagel's been criticized for his stance on same sex marriage, Iran, and just the fact that he's another white guy. He's the most controversial nomination that's sure to be confirmed. Some disparaging things Hagel said about Israel in the past have also bubbled to the surface. The idea is that Hagel's nomination might cause rifts with one of America's closest allies in an increasing volatile Middle East.
RELATED: It's Official: Chuck Hagel Will Be Named Secretary of Defense
But that's all sort of tossed out of the window when one of Israel's foreign ministers, albeit one that's on a farewell tour of the U.S., is singing Hagel's praises. "I know Hagel personally," Ayalon told the crowd. "When I was ambassador in Washington, we had many meetings, I cannot say that we agreed on everything, but he was a decent and fair interlocutor and you can reason with him. I think he believes in the relationship, in the natural partnership between Israel and the United States."

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Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs dies

GENEVA (AP) — Claude Nobs, the founder and general manager of the Montreux Jazz Festival, whose passion for music and artistry introduced generations of legendary musicians to international audiences on the Swiss stage, has died. He was 76.
The Jazz Festival said Nobs, a native of Montreux, died Thursday after sustaining injuries from a fall while cross-country skiing in nearby Caux-sur-Montreux on Christmas Eve. He was taken to the hospital and fell into a coma from which he never recovered.
Nobs worked his way from being a chef and director of Montreux's tourism office, where he organized charity concerts, to overseeing one of the most iconic music festivals in the world.
On its website, the festival said Nobs' death came by "surprise as if to remind us once more, that in life as in music, each great performance could be the last one even if the show must go on."
A visit to the New York offices of Atlantic Records led to the first festival in his home city in June 1967, featuring musicians such as Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette.
The festival was an overnight success, building over the decades on Nobs' passion for jazz, as much as his gumption and contacts abroad.
"'And why not?' You would repeatedly ask the same question when we tried to explain why a project would not be feasible," festival officials wrote in an homage to Nobs on the web site that praised his audacity to dream big. "The Montreux Jazz Festival is the ultimate proof of that! But not the only one!"
From that meeting in New York, Nobs went on to gain career-forming introductions to musical greats such as Roberta Flack and Aretha Franklin, who would make her first European tour at his request. The musical acts at the festival also would gradually broaden to include rock and pop.
An early incident involving the rock group Deep Purple, which had come to Montreux to record an album after performing with Frank Zappa, became forever linked with Nobs.
During a fire at Zappa's concert in 1971, Nobs rushed to save several young concert-goers. Deep Purple's hit song, "Smoke on the Water," would memorialize the accident — Nobs as "Funky Claude" pulling kids to safety.
Two years later, Nobs became director of the Swiss branch of Warner, Elektra and Atlantic, a position that gave him added clout to introduce heavyweights on the Montreux stage.
By the 1990s, he was sharing festival-directing duties with the music producer Quincy Jones and bringing in Miles Davis as an honorary host.
Nobs, whose enthusiasm for greeting musicians at his office and chalet home cemented his standing and boosted the profile of his home, also became known for occasionally taking the stage to play harmonica.
In an interview with Swiss video magazine NVP3D posted on YouTube, Nobs' compared the mix of tradition and creative innovation that he sought at his festivals to the popular Swiss German breakfast dish Bircher Muesli, a combination of rolled oats, fruits, nuts and dairy products.
"Which means it's going to be like a fruit panorama, like a rainbow of different music, and this is what I like about Montreux," he said in the interview, published in June 2012. "To make it really with such a variety of sound, of smell, of views and scene, that it makes it a real experience.

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Indian rape accused had appeared on reality TV show

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The driver of the bus on which an Indian student was gang-raped and fatally beaten featured three years ago on a television show that was hosted by a former top woman police officer.
Ram Singh, the main accused in last month's assault on the woman in New Delhi, had sought help on the show, "Aap Ki Kacheri" or "Your Court", to get compensation for injuries he sustained in a bus accident, show host Kiran Bedi said.
Bedi, India's most celebrated former woman police officer and now an anti-corruption activist, was host of the Hindi-language program that helped resolve civil disputes.
In that particular episode, which is available on YouTube, Singh and a bus owner who had refused his demands for compensation stood side by side at podiums as Bedi asked each man to make his case.
"Ram Singh tried to bully his former employer," Bedi told Reuters, recalling the episode.
A Delhi police officer confirmed that the man in the show was Singh, one of five men charged with the rape and murder of the 23-year-old student whose ordeal triggered nationwide protests.
Singh is expected to plead not guilty when the trial begins. Defense lawyers have said the prosecution's case is marred by lapses in the investigation.
The rape victim, who had boarded the bus along with a male friend after watching a movie on December 16, died in a Singapore hospital two weeks later.
On the television show, Singh said he was tired of going to a tribunal court to seek compensation for injuries to both his hands.
"I spend a lot of money commuting. I request you to please help," he told Bedi. But the bus owner said he would pay no compensation and accused Singh of "drunken, negligent and rash driving".
Singh did not have any criminal record at the time he appeared on the show, the police officer said.
Bedi said the episode involving Singh was one of the few times when the two sides could not reach a settlement.
"Once we saw all the evidence, I realized that Singh was in the wrong," she said.

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Pa. governor sues NCAA for Penn State sanctions

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — The NCAA imposed landmark sanctions against Penn State over the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal in a cynical ploy to weaken the university and enhance its own dismal reputation, Pennsylvania's governor claims in an unprecedented federal antitrust lawsuit against college sports' governing body.
Gov. Tom Corbett said the NCAA veered dramatically from its own disciplinary rules and procedures when it decreed last summer that Penn State would pay a $60 million fine, and the football team would suffer a four-year postseason ban and a dramatic reduction in the number of athletic scholarships it could offer.
Corbett wants a federal judge to throw out the sanctions, saying they have harmed students, business owners and others who had nothing to do with the former assistant football coach's crimes against children.
"A handful of top NCAA officials simply inserted themselves into an issue they had no authority to police under their own bylaws and one that was clearly being handled by the justice system," Corbett told a news conference on Wednesday.
In a statement, the NCAA said the lawsuit has no merit and called it an "affront" to Sandusky's victims.
Penn State said it had no role in the lawsuit. In fact, it agreed not to sue as part of a deal with the NCAA to accept the sanctions, imposed last July after an investigation found that coach Joe Paterno and other top officials covered up sexual-abuse allegations against Sandusky, a former member of Paterno's staff, for more than a decade in order to shield the university from bad publicity.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday represents an about-face for Corbett. Six months ago, he encouraged Penn State to "accept the serious penalties" imposed by the NCAA.
The deal was highly unpopular with many fans, students and alumni. Corbett, who is up for re-election next year, deflected a question about whether his response has helped or hurt him politically.
"We're not going to get into the politics of this," he said.
Corbett, who appeared on national TV and Pennsylvania talk-radio shows in the state's two largest cities Thursday morning, defended his change of heart.
In an interview on KDKA radio in Pittsburgh, Corbett said he changed his mind after concluding that top NCAA officials had bypassed internal committees set up specifically to review and impose sanctions.
"My thought process at the time was, well, if you belong to an association, you have to play by the rules of the association," the governor said. "We looked at the rules of the association and we think that the association didn't play by the rules."
Corbett, a member of the Penn State board of trustees by virtue of his office, said he waited until now to sue over because he wanted to thoroughly research the legal issues and avoid interfering with the football season.
The state's lawsuit alleges the NCAA violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, which prohibits agreements that restrain interstate commerce. It claims the NCAA "cynically and hypocritically exploited the tragedy" in order to "gain leverage in the court of public opinion, boost the reputation and power of the NCAA's president, enhance the competitive position of certain NCAA members, and weaken a fellow competitor."
The NCAA punished Penn State "without citing a single concrete NCAA rule that Penn State has broken, for conduct that in no way compromised the NCAA's mission of fair competition, and with a complete disregard for the NCAA's own enforcement procedures," the suit added.
Legal experts called it an unusual case whose outcome is difficult to predict.
Howard Langer, a Philadelphia-based attorney specializing in antitrust law, said the state must show the NCAA acted in a way that hurt competition and inflicted the "type of injury that antitrust laws were intended to remedy."
The NCAA has faced antitrust litigation before, with mixed results. In 1984, the Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA's exclusive control over televised college football games. And in 1998, the Supreme Court let stand a ruling that said the NCAA's salary cap for some assistant coaches was unlawful price-fixing.
But federal courts have consistently rejected antitrust challenges to NCAA rules and enforcement actions designed to preserve competitive balance, academic integrity and amateurism in college athletics.
In this case, the courts might not be as sympathetic to the NCAA, said Matthew Mitten, director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee.
"It's difficult to justify the sanctions as necessary to protect the amateur nature of college sports, preserve competitive balance or maintain academic integrity," he said.
Joseph Bauer, an antitrust expert at the University of Notre Dame law school, said of Corbett's line of reasoning: "I don't think it's an easy claim for them to make, but it's certainly a viable claim."
Sandusky, 68, was convicted in June of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period, some of them on Penn State's campus. He is a serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence.
Michael Boni, a lawyer for one of the victims, said he does not consider the lawsuit an affront. But he said he hopes Corbett takes a leading role in pushing for changes to state child-abuse laws.
"I really question who he's concerned about in this state," Boni said.
Corbett, a Republican, said his office did not coordinate its legal strategy with state Attorney General-elect Kathleen Kane, who is scheduled to be sworn in Jan. 15. Instead, the current attorney general, Linda Kelly — a Corbett appointee — granted the governor authority to pursue the matter.
Kane, a Democrat, ran on a vow to investigate why it took prosecutors nearly three years to charge Sandusky. Corbett was attorney general when his office took over the case in 2009.
Kane had no comment on the lawsuit because she was not consulted about it by Corbett's office.
Paterno's family members said in a statement that they were encouraged by the lawsuit. Corbett "now realizes, as do many others, that there was an inexcusable rush to judgment," they said.
The NCAA erased 14 years of victories under Paterno, who was fired when the scandal broke in 2011 and died of lung cancer a short time later.
An alumni group, Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, applauded the lawsuit but said Corbett should have asked questions when the NCAA agreement was made.
"If he disapproved of the terms of the NCAA consent decree, or if he thought there was something illegal about them, why didn't he exercise his duty to act long before now?" the group said.

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