Washington Mayor Told to Testify in Lottery Suit WASHINGTON - A federal judge has ordered Mayor Vincent C. Gray to answer questions about the firing of the city's top contracting officer, which is at the heart of a lawsuit alleging that elected officials meddled in a disputed lottery contracting process. Monday's ruling from Judge Richard W. Roberts of United States District Court represents a significant turn in a closely watched case that, along with other allegations of official misconduct, has cast a shadow over both the mayor's office and the City Council. The ruling is the latest in a drumbeat of news involving allegations of misconduct in the city government, which has sought to maintain an air of normalcy despite a councilor being sentenced to prison this month for stealing public funds, and several federal inquiries, including allegations from a former mayoral candidate that Mr. Gray's campaign made under-the-table payments to him during the 2010 mayoral race, which Mr. Gray has denied. And in March, the F.B.I. raided the home and offices of Jeffrey E. Thompson, a major city health care contractor and a donor to Mr. Gray's campaign. The lottery case is centered on allegations from the city's former top contract officer, Eric W. Payne, that he was fired because he resisted efforts by city officials - including Mr. Gray and two city councilors - to scrap the city's $38 million lottery contract with the winning bidder, a partnership that was anchored by Intralot, a Greek gambling company. The lawsuit charges that Mr. Gray and the councilors did not want Intralot's local minority partner, who made enemies on the Council. In a highly unusual move, the Council ultimately voted down the contract. After he was fired in early 2009, Mr. Payne sued the city and its chief financial officer, Natwar M. Gandhi, alleging retaliation for his objections. Mr. Gray, who was the Council chairman at the time, and City Council member Jim Graham had both fought to avoid testifying in the case. Monday's ruling requires both men to testify, though it limited the scope of questions to Mr. Payne's firing. Judge Roberts ruled that Mr. Payne could not make a second councilman, Jack Evans, whom Mr. Payne had also sought to question in the lottery case, testify. Mr. Gray's spokesman, Pedro Ribeiro, said in an e-mail that the mayor "appreciates the judge's decision and will participate in the limited deposition the court has allowed." The mayor has previously stated that he had no involvement in the chief financial officer's employment decisions regarding Mr. Payne. He is prepared to repeat that fact under oath," Mr. Ribeiro wrote. Mr. Graham declined to comment, saying that he had not yet read the ruling. "Justice has been delayed for some time in this matter, and we're just looking to hear the truth," Mr. Payne said. Controversy has continued to swirl around the city lottery. At the end of 2010, the Council approved a provision legalizing Internet gambling, the nation's first jurisdiction to do so. But this year, the Council ended that plan over objections that it had not been properly vetted.