A George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School professor who sued school officials to partially block a university COVID-19 vaccine mandate dropped his lawsuit late Friday, after the university granted him a medical exemption from the mandate.

Professor Todd Zywicki's civil rights lawyers are saying the granting of the exemption was a surprising move by the university that, in their view, was meant to cut off litigation of the merits of Zywicki's constitution-based case.

But in a statement issued last Wednesday, the university flatly denied that Zywicki's legal action, lodged Aug. 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, had had any impact on its decision last week to grant Zywicki the medical exemption.