Student Athlete Class Action Against UNC Chapel Hill Dismissed

Skadden secured the dismissal of a putative class action against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) brought by two former students who attended UNC on athletic scholarships and now allege the university breached its contract and duties with student-athletes because they purportedly were denied a high-quality education and directed to low-quality courses while attending the school. On March 29, Judge Loretta Biggs of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina dismissed the case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, finding that the school is an alter ego of the state of North Carolina and thus entitled to 11th Amendment immunity from suit in federal court.