ACC asks court to pause or dismiss Florida State's lawsuit against league
Posted February 16, 2024 3:33 p.m. EST
The Atlantic Coast Conference asked a Florida court to pause Florida State’s lawsuit against the conference while its claim against the school in North Carolina moves forward or dismiss the Seminoles’ case altogether, according to a filing submitted Friday.
The ACC’s response to Florida State’s complaint came a week after the school filed a motion for dismissal of the conference’s lawsuit in North Carolina, where the league’s office’s are located.
The first court appearance in either case was a hearing set for March 22 in Mecklenburg County Superior Court in North Carolina.
The ACC initially sued the Florida State Board of Trustees in North Carolina in late December, asking a court to uphold the grant of rights that binds conference members through their media rights as a valid and enforceable contract. The ACC filed its lawsuit without announcement the day before Florida State sued the conference.
Florida State is seeking a quick and easy path out of the conference instead of paying more than $500 million in exit fees and penalties to get out of a deal that runs through 2036. The school’s lawsuit, filed in Leon County Circuit Courts, claims the ACC has mismanaged its members’ media rights and is imposing “draconian” exit fees.
Florida State amended its lawsuit in January, taking aim at former ACC Commissioner John Swofford and accusing him costing member schools millions of dollars by acting in the best interest of his son, who worked at television partner Raycom Sports.
The ACC’s motion for a stay or dismissal was focused on legal arguments and not meant to respond to Florida State’s latest claims.
The ACC says the Florida court doesn’t have jurisdiction to hear the case and the statute of limitations has run out on some of FSU’s complaints, which date back as much as a decade.
The ACC also says Florida State’s claims are not recognizable legal claims and the school is seeking an advisory opinion from the court, asking for a ruling based on FSU’s possible withdrawal from the league.
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