A U.S. district judge in Lexington, Ky.,...

A U.S. district judge in Lexington, Ky., granted a petition by the University of Kentucky Athletics Assn. to get sworn depositions from Emery Air Freight employees involved in an investigation of the school’s basketball program.

The university is trying to determine whether a package sent March 30 by Kentucky assistant coach Dwane Casey to Claud Mills, father of Los Angeles Fairfax High star Chris Mills, contained $1,000 in cash.

Casey has denied sending any money, and the Millses have maintained that they did not receive any money in the envelope, which contained a video cassette.

Emery employees in Los Angeles have said that the package broke open, revealing money tucked into the sleeve of the cassette.

The petition, granted by Judge Eugene Siler Jr., claimed that Emery may be cutting the number of employees at its Los Angeles facility, which could involve some key witnesses, and testimony was needed if Casey brought a lawsuit against the university.