BOWLING GREEN, KY. (WBKO) — Western Kentucky University appeared in Warren Circuit Court Monday morning after filing a lawsuit against its student run newspaper, the College Heights Herald.

The purpose of the court appearance was to give both the Attorney General’s Office and WKU a chance to argue why the case should or should not be stayed until a similar case involving the University of Kentucky and their student newspaper, The Kentucky Kernel, is resolved.

“Whoever wins that case, if it’s UK then we will be citing it, and I’m confident that if the Attorney General were to win that case they’d be citing it also, so to say these cases are different and don’t have any application is just not reasonable in my mind,” says Attorney Tom Kerrick, representing WKU.

“I think some of the issues are similar, but they’re very different cases,” countered Attorney Michael Abate, representing the College Heights Herald. “That point was made today in court, and the judge clearly understood it.”

The lawsuit was filed by WKU after Attorney General Andy Beshear’s office ruled that WKU had to turn over documents to the Herald regarding any sexual assault cases on campus during the last five years. WKU maintains doing so could reveal information that would identify sexual assault victims, but Attorney Abate says that isn’t what the student paper is after.

“I think it’s really important to point out that all the College Heights Herald ever requested in this case was copies of documents that would allow them to understand how the university is investigating professors accused of serious sexual misconduct, in many cases with undergraduates.”

“Even if you do redact names and personal information, today with Googling and social media investigators, it doesn’t take too much effort that if the name’s not there that you could still determine who these individuals are,” insists Attorney Kerrick.

The Herald also filed similar requests to the one they gave WKU to universities across The Commonwealth.

“We’ve received from other universities around the state – from Northern Kentucky to Eastern Kentucky, Louisville, Murray State, even UK itself – we received redacted copies of reports and documents just like the ones we’re seeking here today.”

After a back and forth debate that lasted more than an hour, Judge Wilson ruled that WKU must retain all documents relating to this case until the case is settled. In addition, within 60 days the university must provide him with an unredacted copy of those documents for in-camera review, along with detailed notes on why the information they identify as confidential is worthy of redaction.

Judge Wilson will then have 30 days to review the information, putting the case back in court in roughly 90 days.