Durham, N.C. — Several months after settling his legal claims again Duke University over his forced resignation, former lacrosse coach Mike Pressler sued the school on Friday.
Pressler was ousted in April 2006, shortly after Durham police began investigating rape allegations against members of the lacrosse team. A stripper told police that three players assaulted her in an off-campus house, where she was performing at a team party.
The allegations were later found to be baseless, and state Attorney General Roy Cooper dropped all charges against the three players indicted in the case.
Pressler and Duke reached an undisclosed settlement that spring, which the university called at the time "an amicable, fair financial settlement."
The new lawsuit is related to the settlement, and a Duke official said Friday that the school would fight the suit.
"Mr. Pressler, aided by his attorney, reached a fair and final financial agreement with Duke University in the spring of 2007. We are disappointed that he is now trying to undo that agreement with an unfounded claim against Duke," Pamela Bernard, Duke's vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.
"We will address the matter through the legal process and insist on honoring our existing agreement."
The Herald-Sun of Durham reported that Pressler's lawsuit alleges the university broke the terms of the confidential settlement when university senior vice president John Burness made disparaging comments about the former coach. The newspaper reported that the lawsuit asks the state court to void the settlement and hold a trial on Pressler's claim of wrongful termination.
Pressler did not return a call by The Associated Press seeking comment Friday night, and his agent declined to comment.
Pressler, who now coaches at Bryant University in Rhode Island, helped write a book, "It's Not About the Truth," about his experience in the lacrosse case.



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Hate should never be given a "pass". I wonder if the boys can add-on their punitive damages for it being a "hate crime". I've always been of the opinon though that any crime is a "hate crime." I think the City should have settled but logic doesn't seem to suit them. I think (and hope) they will find they missed a bargain.
October 14, 2007 9:12 p.m.
October 14, 2007 9:02 p.m.
Bramester- I totally agree. My guess is people don’t make a big deal about it unless they are the ones affected. It’s an ugly subject. In Durham, local gov’t- racism is completely saturated and has resulted in clear corruption and the breaking of their own respective policies and rules. I am glad that the boys are taking this to court so that the citizens will have to be accountable for the actions of their elected officials and their appointed officials. The hatred is so blatant and so ignored by the locals.
October 14, 2007 8:55 p.m.
Durham will pay a lot of money in the end ….. but is that justice? Not enough IMHO. Could it happen to someone else? Yep. I think the whole place is corrupt and dirty. Elected officials never leave and continue to be re-elected with hardly any serious campaigning. There’s something going on there.
October 14, 2007 8:55 p.m.
October 14, 2007 7:47 p.m.