Davis, lawyers react to oral arguments in Boeheim defamation case
ALBANY, N.Y. — Standing on the steps of New York state’s highest court, Bobby Davis said he never thought his lawsuit against Syracuse University head men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim “would get this far.”
“We just want to make change university-wide,” said Davis, who along with his stepbrother Mike Lang, accused former associate men’s basketball coach Bernie Fine of molesting them while they were ball boys at SU. Davis also thanked his lawyers and added that he thought the university treated him unfairly, and wanted to correct the wrong done to him.
High-profile celebrity attorney Gloria Allred was also present at Tuesday’s oral arguments in Davis and Lang’s defamation suit against Boeheim. Allred, who serves as one of the lawyers for Davis and Lang, sat in the gallery with her clients, while lawyer Mariann Wang presented oral arguments on behalf of Davis and Lang.
Following the 25-minute oral arguments, Allred said she thought the outcome of this decision would be very important for victims of sexual assault.
“I’m very proud of counsel. We think it’s an extremely significant issue,” she said. “It’s important for the victims of sexual assault.”
Wang added that she wanted her clients to have their day in court, and said she was looking forward to a thoughtful opinion from the five judges.
When asked if this was the end of the lawsuit, Wang simply stated: “I hope not.”
Published on September 10, 2014 at 12:01 am
Contact Meredith: mhnewman@syr.edu | @MerNewman93