Arizona judge: Lawsuit by Georgia Tech's Pastner to proceed

Published Mar. 22, 2019 4:59 p.m. ET

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A judge says a blackmail and defamation lawsuit filed by Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner against an Arizona man can move ahead.

The Arizona Daily Star reports that the Pima County Superior Court judge ruled Thursday on the Pastner lawsuit against his former friend Ron Bell of Oro Valley.

Pastner a year ago sued Bell and his fiancee, Jennifer Pendley, accusing them of trying to blackmail him by accusing him of breaking NCAA rules. They countersued and accused him of sexually assaulting Pendley at a Houston hotel in February 2016 when he was the coach at Memphis.

Pastner played at Arizona from 1996-2000 and was a Wildcats assistant coach from 2002-08 before being hired by Memphis in 2009. He met Bell during his time in Tucson.