The tenured UNC-Chapel Hill professor placed on unpaid leave and then fired after a drug smuggling arrest in South America cannot collect attorney’s fees as part of the resolution of his lawsuit against the school.

A three-judge panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that Bruce Frampton is not entitled to attorney’s fees. That’s despite the fact that the Appeals Court ruled earlier that the university had violated its procedures in placing Frampton on unpaid leave immediately after his cocaine smuggling arrest in Argentina. Appellate judges had ruled that the immediate decision to take away Frampton’s pay violated the university’s tenure policy. Eventually Frampton was fired.

A trial court has awarded Frampton more than $263,000 in back salary and lost benefits.