Florida State University (FSU) is pushing back against the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in a legal battle over sports media rights. The university filed a response on Wednesday urging the Florida Supreme Court to reject the ACC’s request to pause a lawsuit filed by FSU.
This legal clash began in December 2023 with dueling lawsuits filed by both FSU and the ACC. The ACC filed its lawsuit in North Carolina, while FSU filed its lawsuit in Leon County, Florida. The central issue is control over media rights, with FSU seeking to leave the conference and potentially forfeit revenue.
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The ACC is arguing that its lawsuit, filed a day before FSU’s, should take precedence based on the “principle of priority.” However, Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper and the 1st District Court of Appeal have rejected this argument, with Judge Cooper labeling the ACC’s lawsuit an “anticipatory filing” made in response to FSU’s planned lawsuit.
FSU’s attorneys reiterated this point in their Wednesday filing, emphasizing the broad discretion trial judges have in granting stays and urging the Supreme Court to uphold Judge Cooper’s decision.
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The ACC, however, is framing the issue as a significant matter of federalism with potentially far-reaching implications. Their attorneys, including former Florida Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson, argue that the lower court’s decision could lead to jurisdictional conflicts between states.
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