Houston Nutt's Lawsuit Against Ole Miss Dismissed by Judge

A United States district judge dismissed Houston Nutt's federal lawsuit against the University of Mississippi on Tuesday, according to the Clarion-Ledger's Antonio Morales.

In the court order, Judge Neal B. Biggers Jr. wrote "the plaintiff concedes that the defendants' argument is meritorious and asserts 'it is agreed that this court lacks subject matter jurisdiction,'" after Ole Miss and the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning petitioned the lawsuit claiming they were "arms of the state," per Morales. 

Nutt, who coached the Rebels from 2008 to 2011, initially filed the lawsuit July 12 claiming former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze and the school defamed him and violated his severance agreement by trying to make it look like a slew of NCAA rules violations that occurred during Freeze's tenure came while he was head coach. 

According to CBS Sports' Ben Kercheval, Nutt's initial filing claimed the university engaged in a "smear campaign" against him that aimed to create a "false narrative" about his time with the program. 

On Monday, ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach reported Nutt's attorney "offered to settle the former coach's federal lawsuit against Ole Miss if the university apologizes for making inaccurate statements about him to the media and donates $500,000 to establish a state commission on sports ethics."

However, Morales reported Tuesday that the sides could not agree to terms on a settlement since the school maintained the suit should have been dismissed. 

In a statement provided to USA Today's Dan Wolken on Wednesday, Nutt's attorney, Thomas Mars, suggested his client could file a new lawsuit next week: 

According to Schlabach, Ole Miss officials are scheduled to appear in front of the NCAA Infractions Committee on Sept. 11 to address a charge of lack of institutional control stemming from Freeze's conduct. 

In July, the Associated Press reported Ole Miss has been notified of 21 potential rules violations, 15 of which have been classified as Level I infractions.