ATLANTA — An Arizona judge has denied a request to delay proceedings in a sexual assault civil suit filed against Georgia Tech basketball coach Josh Pastner.
The request comes from Pastner’s accusers -- a former friend, Ron Bell, and his girlfriend, Jennifer Pendley. The Arizona couple told a court last week that more than 50 attorneys have declined to represent them in the case, a month after their original legal team dropped them amid documented suspicions that the couple fabricated the assault claims.
Bell and Pendley have been ordered to come up with legal filing requests by August 7, ahead of a September hearing.
In exclusive jail video and audio recordings obtained by Channel 2 investigative reporter Nicole Carr, the couple can be seen having a meltdown over the case, with Bell saying he doesn't believe the very claims he has lodged against Pastner in court.
The recordings stem from Bell’s short stint in a Pima County, Arizona, jail for a Cobb County probation violation that ended with him being extradited to Georgia this spring. He was released after serving more than a month between the two jails.
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“I guarantee you, you don’t have a case after I speak,” Bell told Pendley in one recording.
“Ron, I don’t want—” Pendley said before being cut off.
“I’m just going to frankly say I don’t believe it happened,” Bell said. "That’s all I’m going to say.”
“Ron I --,” Pendley said before being cutting off a second time.”
“I don’t believe it and these are the reasons why," Bell said.
Bell never described “the reasons why,” but threatened to take away Pendley’s witness in the case and berated her for talking to the press about his arrest.
In the series of calls, Bell repeatedly said he would go to the press with “the truth” about Pendley’s sex assault claims. He also threatened to convince her one witness to back out of supporting her claims.
“You’re going to look like a (expletive) liar when I come out,” Bell told Pendley.
“Ron, please don’t do this,” Pendley said.
“And I’m going to back Josh 100 percent,” Bell said.
“You can go cry with your new lawyer,” Bell said in another portion of the call. “I’m going to be called as a witness for Josh.”
“Ron--"
“And I’m saying that on a recorded line," Bell said. “I’m done. I’m done.”
Bell originally spoke to Carr in 2017, when he said he was upset that Pastner had not come up with a job for him at Georgia Tech. Bell provided receipts related to an NCAA investigation into allegations that Pastner provided illegal player benefits. Bell said he had been used to support the effort.
[READ MORE: Man says GT coach knew he bought flights, meals, clothes for players]
Pastner sued the couple for defamation earlier this year, and they turned around to accuse of him of sexually assaulting Pendley in a Houston hotel room in 2016.
The couple’s legal team dropped the case a month ago, amid suspicions the sex assault claims were fabricated.
Pastner’s legal team recently filed a motion pointing out the couple still had not provided evidence they claimed to have in the case, and asked an Arizona judge to consider dismissing the case.
The team submitted phone call transcripts to support that motion. In the transcripts, Bell berated Pendley, threatened to break up with her and alluded to false sex assault allegations.
[READ MORE: Jail recordings suggest false sex assault claims against Georgia Tech's Pastner]
Last week, the couple told a judge they wanted to delay the case, because of their trouble in finding new representation. Bell and Pendley told the court more than 50 attorneys declined to take on the case, and they were having trouble obtaining their case file from their previous attorneys.
While Pendley and Bell have not personally returned messages regarding the case, Carr confirmed the couple has representation that joined the case this week.
The firm is just getting a chance to review the case to prepare for upcoming court deadlines.