In a significant twist in the long-running sexual abuse litigation tied to NC State athletics, the former chancellor has been dropped from the case, even as the core claims against a onetime trainer and athletics officials push ahead toward a key hearing this week.
Plaintiffs have voluntarily dismissed their claims against former Chancellor Randy Woodson, narrowing the roster of individual university leaders named in the suits. The litigation still centers on allegations involving former trainer Robert M. Murphy Jr. and several current and former athletics administrators. A Wake County judge is scheduled to hear defense motions on the remaining claims on Wednesday.
According to WRAL, the former players filed a voluntary dismissal on Monday that removes Woodson as a named defendant while leaving the overall case pending in Wake County Superior Court. The outlet reports that the lawsuit now lists 31 former Wolfpack male athletes as plaintiffs and notes that Woodson served as chancellor from April 2010 through June 2025.
As reported by the AP, the amended state complaint expanded a case that began with federal filings in 2022 and 2023 and now includes 31 plaintiffs. The filings accuse NC State of failing to stop a pattern of misconduct, and the state complaints describe conduct that includes improper genital touching during massages and intrusive observation while urine samples were collected.
What The Amended Complaint Says
The amended complaint filed in Wake County lays out dozens of incidents the plaintiffs say occurred while Murphy worked in the athletics department, and it accuses administrators of turning a blind eye and concealing the problem. The filing seeks damages for assault, intrusion upon seclusion, and negligent supervision or retention by certain athletic department officials.
NC State’s athletics site confirms that Murphy was hired as director of sports medicine in 2011 and served in that role through mid-2022. The complaint and public reporting provide the timeline and context for the claims, and The amended complaint and university records contain the detailed allegations and dates.
Defense Tries To Knock Out Claims Early
Defendants have filed a series of motions asking the court to dismiss much of the case on procedural and jurisdictional grounds. In his filing, Woodson argues that the plaintiffs’ negligence theories "fall within the Industrial Commission’s jurisdiction" and contends that many claims are time barred under North Carolina law, a point made explicitly in his motion.
Other defendants have argued that negligent retention or supervision claims can be asserted only against an employer, in this instance NC State, and that various claims are untimely under applicable statutes of limitation and repose.
Plaintiffs Say System Failed Them
Attorneys for the former players told WRAL that the defendants’ dismissal arguments "have no merit" and that the complaint’s allegations establish systemic failures and concealment within the athletics department. The plaintiffs’ filings also invoke doctrines such as equitable estoppel to argue that timing defenses should not automatically bar their claims.
That clash, between procedural defenses on one side and allegations of institutional concealment on the other, will sit at the heart of what the judge weighs this week.
Key Hearing Could Narrow The Case
A Wake County judge is set to hear the remaining motions on Wednesday. The court could dismiss additional individual defendants, transfer some claims to the Industrial Commission, or allow portions of the lawsuit to proceed in Superior Court.
The litigation has already seen judges and appeals panels weigh in on related filings, including an appeals court decision that revived a federal claim, underscoring the procedural complexity that still lies ahead. Depending on the outcome of this week’s hearing, the case could be narrowed significantly or move forward to discovery on claims against Murphy and others.
Legal Stakes And Technical Terrain
North Carolina’s timelines and forum rules will drive much of the outcome. Most negligence claims carry a three year statute of limitations and a separate ten year statute of repose, with those limits set out in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52. Claims arising from the conduct of state employees can fall under the State Tort Claims Act, which generally gives exclusive jurisdiction to the North Carolina Industrial Commission under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-291.
How the court applies those rules, and whether doctrines like equitable estoppel or public official immunity apply, will determine whether the case survives to merits discovery or instead becomes the subject of further appeals and jurisdictional fights.
