Former Elon University professor of accounting Ray Knight’s federal lawsuit against the university has been dismissed. 

Knight originally filed the lawsuit Feb. 6, alleging that the university retaliated against him for whistleblowing, wrongfully denied him tenure, wrongfully terminated his employment and violated both federal whistleblower protections and North Carolina public policy. Knight was seeking reinstatement or front pay, back pay, compensatory and punitive damages and a favorable letter of reference.

Knight claimed that he was removed from his role as Internal Revenue Service Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program director after reporting that a faculty colleague had improperly provided students with answers to the IRS VITA exams, and was later denied tenure despite receiving a favorable recommendation from his department evaluator. Knight also claimed that university officials failed to self-report the alleged misconduct to the IRS or the business school accreditor, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The university responded in March, saying that Knight’s claims of retaliation under the National Defense Authorization Act and wrongful termination do not state a practical cause of action. 

The university argued that Knight did not go through the necessary steps required by the NDAA before filing the lawsuit. This factored into the dismissal of the case, as the court said that Knight failed to “exhaust administrative remedies,” meaning he didn’t go through proper government channels first. 

The university also said that even if what Knight said was true, it doesn’t qualify for protection under the law. According to the university, the whistleblower statute only applies when the misconduct is tied to a federal grant, and Elon said that Knight’s complaint doesn’t apply. 

Elon filed a motion to dismiss the case in March, and Knight filed replies that offered new arguments and material. On May 27, the court denied Knight’s request to reply again and dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, meaning the lawsuit is over for now but Knight can file the lawsuit again if he goes through the required administrative steps. 

Elon News Network reached out to Knight and Elon University for comment.