RALEIGH (AP) ó A North Carolina appeals court has cleared Duke University’s former lacrosse coach to pursue a slander lawsuit against the school and its former spokesman.
The Court of Appeals decided Tuesday that a trial court correctly ruled that Michael Pressler’s obligation to arbitrate his slander and libel claims was voided by his settlement agreement with Duke.
The settlement came after Pressler was fired following a stripper’s false accusations in 2006 that three players raped her at a team party. The three players later were declared innocent by state prosecutors.
The ruling means Pressler could pursue punitive damages and other penalties for disparaging comments he said former Duke spokesman John Burness twice made to the media.