Bernie Fine Drops His ESPN Lawsuit, Will (Not) Buddy Up With Laurie

Because it's been a few weeks since we've talked about Bernie Fine and any pending litigation involving him, we get news today (courtesy of Jeremy Ryan) that Fine has dropped his own $11M libel lawsuit against ESPN.

According to a legal document obtained by CNY Central, Fine’s attorneys filed a motion in U.S. District Court asking for the lawsuit to be dismissed. The court subsequently dismissed the suit Tuesday without prejudice.

But wait! The reason Bernie dropped the suit was to apparently join his wife Laurie's lawsuit, per the Post-Standard.

So many questions (as usual). Why didn't Bernie & Laurie just sue together to begin with? Will this change the monetary award they're seeking? What does Zach Tomaselli have to say, then retract, then retract his retraction, about this?

What's even weirder is that Fine's lawyers released a statement making it sound like Bernie is completely done seeking legal justice, which, obviously, he isn't.

Here's the statement from Fine's attorneys, Harris Beach PLLC:

"On Tuesday, July 2, 2013, Bernie Fine filed a voluntary Notice of Dismissal of his lawsuit against ESPN, ending all litigation. Although Mr. Fine and his attorneys are convinced that his legal claim has merit, Mr. Fine desires to finally put all of the turmoil of the past year and a half behind him, so that he may concentrate on his future as well as the future of his family. Mr. Fine has been and continues to be overwhelmed by the many, many friends who have stood by him and who provided him with the strength to get through the most difficult time in his life. He will be forever grateful for their support and friendship."

ESPN put out a statement as well:

"Given the continued pendency of the Laurie Fine matter, which we will continue to defend vigorously, we will not discuss litigation. We can confirm this action is not the result of a settlement and that Bernie Fine or his lawyers would have to be contacted regarding their reasons for doing this."

The fun never ends...