Judge drops Duke University from parking attendant's lawsuit

The university and Executive Vice President Tallman Trask were being sued by Shelvia Underwood, a parking attendant who claims Trask hit her with his car and called her by a racial slur in 2014.

In court Tuesday, attorney Dan Hartzog said the university should not be a part of the suit.

"I'm not here to talk about whether or not Tallman Trask bumped into (Underwood) with his car, or whether or not he used a racial slur," Hartzog said. "That's between (Underwood) and Tallman Trask."

Underwood says the university and its police department conspired with Trask to cover up the incident, preventing a fair investigation into the matter.

Hartzog also pointed out an agreement Underwood signed, saying the investigation could end if Trask apologized to Underwood, which he did.

"She signed the document. He apologized, and that should be the end of that discussion," Hartzog said.