Former Duke lacrosse coach can go forward with libel lawsuit

DURHAM. (AP) — A judge has allowed former Duke lacrosse coach Mike Pressler to pursue a slander and libel lawsuit against an official at the university.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that Durham County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning rejected claims Wednesday by Duke University that Pressler had to first go through the school’s arbitration process. Pressler’s attorneys said he is no longer bound by the terms of his past contracts.

Pressler has accused Duke spokesman John Burness of making slanderous, libelous and defamatory remarks about him.

Pressler lost his job several weeks after the 2006 party at which a stripper falsely claimed three players raped her. Pressler now coaches lacrosse at Bryant University in Rhode Island and he’s written a book about the lacrosse case.

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Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com

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