SouthernWorldwide.com – A North Carolina judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought forth by 31 former N.C. State male athletes. The athletes alleged sexual abuse and misconduct by the athletic program’s former director of sports medicine.
The lawsuit was filed in February, stemming from allegations of treatment and harassment against Robert M. Murphy Jr. It also named N.C. State athletic officials who were reportedly tied to oversight rules.
However, Wake County Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins dismissed the claims. The judge cited procedural reasons for his decision.
This legal action began in 2022 with a single athlete filing a federal lawsuit. The suit detailed allegations of years of misconduct by Murphy, including improper touching during massages and intrusive observation during drug testing urine samples.
Ultimately, Collins granted a motion from Murphy’s legal team to dismiss the case. The ruling stated that the statute of limitations had expired for claims dating back as far as 2013.
Furthermore, Collins dismissed claims against athletic officials. These included former athletic director Debbie Yow and current athletic director Boo Corrigan. The dismissal of these claims was based on jurisdictional grounds.
Kery Sutton, who represented the former N.C. State athletes, indicated plans to appeal the judge’s decision. Sutton stated that the dismissal was not based on the merits of the alleged abuse.
“This dismissal has nothing at all to do with Mr. Murphy’s sexual abuse of these 31 former student-athletes,” Sutton said in a statement. “It was decided based only on questions of legal procedure.”
Sutton added, “We plan to appeal this outcome and in coming days will be adding new claims against NCSU for men who have recently come forward.”
Conversely, Jared Hammett, Murphy’s attorney, presented a different perspective. Hammett suggested the lawsuit was financially motivated and harmed his client’s reputation.
“The truth is nothing happened but a man’s career being ruined for money,” Hammett stated. “As a lawyer I am just glad that we have been able to help another person who needed support and found himself needing that defense.”
Hammett’s statement also characterized Murphy as an individual who dedicated his career to supporting athletes.
Out of the 31 athletes involved in the lawsuit, only two did not use “John Doe” to protect their anonymity. One of these named plaintiffs was Benjamin Locke.
Locke, a former men’s soccer player for the Wolfpack, was the individual who initially filed the federal lawsuit in August 2022. This original filing laid the groundwork for the subsequent, broader lawsuit.
N.C. State issued a statement addressing the situation. The university emphasized its commitment to student safety and its stance against misconduct.
“N.C. State does not condone sexual misconduct of any kind,” the school said in a statement. “The health and safety of our students and student-athletes is paramount to the university and our athletic programs.”
