Judge grants motion to dismiss Houston Nutt's lawsuit against Ole Miss

The judge ruled that Nutt's lawsuit did not qualify under federal jurisdiction

A federal judge ruled to dismiss without prejudice the lawsuit former Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt filed against the school in July. United States District Judge Neal B. Biggers Jr. granted the motion filed by Ole Miss to dismiss the suit on Tuesday afternoon.

The judge ruled that the federal court "lacks jurisdiction" to hear the case, and dismissing it "without prejudice" means that Nutt and his attorneys can re-file the case in the appropriate jurisdiction.

Nutt initially filed the lawsuit against Ole Miss in July alleging that coach Hugh Freeze, athletic director Ross Bjork and other members of the school's athletic department had violated a separation agreement between Nutt and the school. The lawsuit stemmed from the fact that Nutt claimed the school violated the agreement when Ole Miss spoke off the record with reporters about an NCAA investigation into the football program, implying that most of the violations had occurred during Nutt's tenure. The NCAA's Notice of Allegations later showed this was not the case.

Nutt's lawsuit also led to Hugh Freeze's resignation, as the school uncovered what it called "a troubling pattern" in Freeze's phone records.

Nutt proposed a settlement to the lawsuit earlier this week. According to reports, the settlement asked for a public apology to Nutt from the school and a donation of $500,000 to form a state commission on sports ethics in Mississippi. Nutt was not asking for any monetary compensation for himself.