A federal judge has granted the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s request to dismiss the school from a lawsuit filed by two former Tar Heels athletes tied to its multiyear academic scandal.

In a Wednesday ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Loretta C. Biggs stated the school had 11th Amendment immunity as an arm of the state that prevented it from being sued in federal court. The plaintiffs were former football player Michael McAdoo and former women’s basketball player Kenya McBee.

Jeremi Duru, an attorney on the case, didn’t immediately return a call for comment. UNC spokeswoman Joanne Peters said in a statement the school was “pleased and grateful” for Biggs’ decision.

McAdoo filed his class-action lawsuit in November 2014 amid the scandal tied to irregular courses in an academic department popular with athletes. McBee signed on months later.

Biggs heard arguments last April as well as in a separate lawsuit filed by former football player Devon Ramsay and ex-women’s basketball player Rashanda McCants. That lawsuit included the NCAA as a defendant, but Biggs granted the governing body’s motion to dismiss it from the lawsuit in August.

Biggs had stayed UNC’s motion to dismiss in that case while she dealt with the arm-of-the-state issues from the McAdoo-McBee case. It’s unclear how Wednesday’s order will affect the pending issue in the Ramsay-McCants lawsuit.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Hosting Regional to Open NCAA Tournament
UNC baseball entered the ACC Tournament on the bubble to host a regional to open the NCAA Tournament, but a conference title solidified Carolina’s place as a host. The Tar Heels will open NCAA Tournament play in Chapel Hill and will be joined by second-seeded Tennessee, No. 3 seed Liberty and fourth-seeded UNC – Wilmington. […]
Inside Carolina: The Next Challenge
Conference play is never easy, but the Tar Heels are looking to build some confidence in this weekend’s contest against Louisville. Today’s edition of “Inside Carolina” talks over the current state of the UNC basketball team, their performance in the season so far and their prospects looking ahead.
Hatchell Gets Win No. 1,000
North Carolina women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell is now part of an exclusive club of basketball coaches with 1,000 career wins. Hatchell reached the milestone with a victory over Grambling State in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Tuesday afternoon. Of the 1,000 victories, 728 have come while Hatchell was at the helm in Chapel Hill. […]
Ex-UNC Player’s Estate Sues ACC, NCAA Over Concussions
Representatives of a former North Carolina football player’s estate are suing the Atlantic Coast Conference and the NCAA, saying they ignored the dangers of concussions and it led to Ryan Hoffman’s death. Sandra LaMountain and Noah Hoffman brought the 39-page lawsuit on behalf of Ryan Hoffman’s estate and filed it Wednesday in U.S. District Court […]
October 2017 Community Forum: UNC Athletics Post NCAA Investigation
Longtime writer Art Chansky, WCHL host Aaron Keck and UNC professor Deb Stroman broke down the news and talked about what lies ahead for the university.
No Penalties for UNC in NCAA Investigation
The conclusion of a years-long NCAA investigation left UNC unscathed on Friday. The NCAA announced Friday morning that the Division I Committee on Infractions “could not conclude that the University of North Carolina violated NCAA academic rules when it made available deficient Department of African and Afro-American Studies ‘paper courses’ to the general student body, […]
UNC Finally Set to Learn Ruling in NCAA Academic Case Friday
North Carolina is finally set to learn its fate in a multiyear NCAA academic case. The NCAA infractions committee panel handling the school’s multiyear academic case plans to release its ruling Friday, three people with knowledge of the investigation said. The people said the NCAA notified parties involved in the case Thursday morning. They spoke […]
AP Sources: NCAA to Release Ruling in UNC Case Friday
Three people with knowledge of the investigation say the NCAA infractions committee panel handling North Carolina’s multi-year academic case plans to release its ruling Friday. The people say the NCAA notified parties involved in the case Thursday morning. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the school nor the NCAA […]
UNC: School Still Awaiting NCAA Ruling in Academic Case
North Carolina says it is still awaiting a ruling from an NCAA infractions committee panel handling the school’s multi-year academic case. In a statement Thursday, UNC spokesman Joel Curran says the school hasn’t received the public report that would include any potential penalties. Curran says it won’t come Friday due to “scheduling circumstances,” but didn’t […]
After Hearing, UNC Now Awaits NCAA Ruling in Academic Case
North Carolina has wrapped up a two-day hearing with an NCAA infractions committee panel that will decide whether the school faces penalties tied to its multi-year academic scandal. Now the case goes into yet another holding pattern. School officials spent much of Wednesday in a closed-door meeting with committee members in Nashville, Tennessee. They returned […]
›