VALDOSTA – A federal judge has dismissed a suit filed by the parents of Kendrick Johnson which accused a host of local and state agencies of conspiring to cover-up the cause of Johnson’s death.

The suit, filed in August 2016, named 42 defendants, including members of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

On Tuesday, United States District Court Judge W. Louis Sands dismissed the suit without prejudice. Sands cited that, among other issues, Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson failed to properly serve all defendants listed in their suit, according to court documents.

The body of Kendrick Johnson was found upside down in a vertically-stored gym mat at Lowndes High School in January 2013. A state autopsy ruled the 17-year-old’s death accidental. Johnson’s parents insist their son died of foul play.

The Johnsons previously filed other suits which were either dismissed or withdrawn, including a $100 million civil suit filed in 2015 that was voluntarily withdrawn a year later.

In August 2016, Superior Court Judge Richard Porter ruled the Johnsons would be required to pay attorneys’ fees associated with the lawsuits. Lawyers involved in the case have sought more than $900,000 in attorneys’ fees.

A ruling on exactly how much the Johnsons will be required to pay is expected the first week of July, according to sources close to the case.