Judge: Laurie Fine's past not relevant in SU suit

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 the 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 players on the team. The two men say the 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, so they "do not have a good faith basis" to ask for the information as part of their argument to keep the case in the city.

Before the ruling, a lawyer for the men, Mariann Wang, argued that points 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.

Neither Fine is a defendant in the lawsuit, which maintains that Boeheim defamed Davis and Lang by saying they were out for money after their abuse allegations surfaced.

"What is the relationship between the alleged conduct of Mrs. Fine and basketball players and the statements made by Boeheim?" Judge Singh asked.