RALEIGH, N.C. -- More than three dozen current and former

Duke lacrosse players claim in a lawsuit they suffered emotional

distress during the furor over the now-discredited rape case

against three of their teammates.

Attorneys planned to file a federal lawsuit Thursday in North

Carolina that accuses Duke University, the City of Durham and

several school and police officials of fraud, abuse, and breach of

duty for supporting the prosecution of the case.

Lead attorney Chuck Cooper said the private university turned

its back on the players to protect the school's image.

"These young men want an acknowledgment that they were wronged

by institutions and individuals that they trusted to treat them

honestly," Cooper said in a statement. "They were victimized by a

corrupt investigation that ignored or suppressed evidence that

would have cleared them."

The lawsuit filed on behalf of 38 unindicted players and nine

members of their families seeks unspecified damages for invasion of

privacy, emotional distress and other injuries. Cooper planned to

discuss the lawsuit later Thursday at a news conference in

Washington, D.C.

The players accuse Duke of ignoring, suppressing and

discrediting evidence that proved the players' innocence, with idly

standing by while the players suffered abuse and harassment on

campus, and with imposing discipline that implied the team was

guilty. Duke suspended and then canceled the highly ranked team's

season in the wake of the rape allegation.

Duke spokesman Keith Lawrence declined to comment until the

university had time to review the lawsuit. Durham interim City

Attorney Karen Sindelar did not immediately return a phone call

seeking comment Thursday.

Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong won

indictments against Dave Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann

after a woman accused them of raping her at a team party in March

2006. The case unraveled amid the woman's changing story and lack

of evidence.

The three players were later declared innocent and also have

sued the former prosecutor, the City of Durham and the police

detectives who handled the case. They reached an undisclosed

financial settlement with the university in June.

Nifong was disbarred and spent a night in jail for his handling

of the case. Cooper said he is not named in the lawsuit because of

his pending declaration of bankruptcy. Nifong is claiming more than

$180 million in liabilities, almost all tied to the prospect of

losing two other lawsuits stemming from the rape case.

Three other players filed a lawsuit last year, accusing the

school, Nifong and numerous others of a conspiracy that inflicted

emotional distress.