Murren to sit for deposition in CityCenter case Nov. 14-15.

After a bit of jockeying and judicial intervention, attorneys agreed on Friday that MGM Resorts International chairman and CEO James Murren will sit for a deposition in the CityCenter construction litigation on Nov. 14 and 15.

In the process, Murren caught something of a break. Clark County District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez limited his time in front of lawyers to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days, with a 75-minute break for lunch. Former general contractor Perini Building Co., the Tutor Perini Corp. subsidiary suing CityCenter for unpaid construction bills, had requested six days with Murren.

"Mr. Murren is a large witness in this case" due to his heavy involvement in CityCenter from the beginning, said Perini attorney George Ogilvie III. Limiting his testimony to two days was "far too draconian," he said.

Gonzalez left open the chance for Perini to get more time later. However, she imposed the limit because of past instances where Perini lawyers stretched out depositions with other MGM witnesses far longer than needed. "I'm sending a message that we are not going to waste six days taking a deposition that could be done in two," she said.