Boeheim judge denies request

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Salacious claims about the wife of an assistant Syracuse University basketball coach who was fired after claims that he molested boys have no bearing in a slander lawsuit two of the men brought against the team’s head coach, Jim Boeheim, a judge ruled Friday.

The hearing in Manhattan was about whether two former ball boys who accuse Boeheim of defamation could get names and addresses of former players on the team, among other information.

The two men say some players may have had sex with Laurie Fine, the wife of fired assistant coach Bernie Fine.

The request was part of a broader clash over the university’s and Boeheim’s request to move the case to Syracuse.

The men, Bobby Davis and Michael Lang, argued some of those players may live in New York City, bolstering their argument that the slander case should be tried there instead of moving it to Onondaga County, where Syracuse University is located.

Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Anil C. Singh denied the request, saying it “appears to be based on pure speculation” that some witnesses may live in Manhattan.

Before the ruling, a lawyer for the men, Mariann Wang, argued that Laurie Fine’s alleged affairs point to an atmosphere of “dysfunctional” sexual relationships surrounding the Fines and that Boeheim knew or should have known what was going on around the program he has run for 36 seasons.

Laurie Fine’s lawyer has called the allegations “disgusting.” Bernie Fine has denied wrongdoing and hasn’t been charged.

The U.S. Attorney’s office is investigating the claims of a third man, 23-year-old Zachary Tomaselli of Lewiston, Maine. The claims by Davis and Lang happened too long ago be investigated because the statute of limitations has expired.

The former ball boys sought addresses for all Syracuse basketball team members from 1992 to 1997, the names of anyone who may have had a sexual relationship with either Bernie or Laurie Fine and information on what the university or Boeheim knew about her alleged affairs with players and ball boys, among other information.