A lawsuit against North Carolina women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance will not go to trial after a U.S. District Court judge granted a summary judgment in favor of the defendants Wednesday.
Chief Judge N. Carlton Tilley Jr. of the U.S. District Court in Greensboro effectively dismissed the claims of Melissa Jennings, a former goalkeeper for the Tar Heels.
Jennings alleged in 1998 that Dorrance had reimbursed team members for alcohol bought during her recruiting trip and had forced her to withdraw $400 from her bank account to buy supplies for her teammates before a game.
She also accused Dorrance of invasion of privacy, saying he intimidated players into sharing details of their personal lives, including their sexual activity.
The case had been scheduled to go to trial Monday.
The complaint named Dorrance, three assistant coaches, a trainer, numerous University officials including Director of Athletics Dick Baddour and the late Chancellor Michael Hooker, and the University itself.
"I am thankful the court has ruled to dismiss the case," Dorrance said in a statement issued Thursday. "I appreciate the support of so many people, including the University, my players and family, gave me throughout this entire process.
"So many of the comments that were attributed to me were simply not true. I apologized before for making some inappropriate comments, but none of them reached the levels that were claimed in this case. I'm glad we can all move forward and I can concentrate on my family and my team."
Dorrance declined further comment after Thursday's game.