FSU has spent over $3 million in legal fees on court battle against the ACC, records show

Florida State University has spent just north of $3 million in legal fees in its lawsuits against the Atlantic Coast Conference .

That's according to information received Friday from the university after a public records request by the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida.

As of Sept. 11, FSU has spent $3,027,681.29 on legal fees, with the highest single billing of $272,444.98 coming on Aug. 1.

The bulk of that money – roughly $2.3 million – has gone to the Greenberg Traurig law firm, with the rest going to Bradley Arant Boult Cummings , a Birmingham, Alabama-based law firm that also has an office in Charlotte, N.C.

The school sued the conference over its frustrations with its media rights deal in December, claiming uneven distribution of revenue was creating a gap between the Seminoles athletics program, primarily football, and teams in conferences like the SEC and BIG10.

FSU's arguments have led to a nearly yearlong legal fight with the conference as the program explores a potential exit from the ACC, or, as recent reports suggest , a new revenue-sharing plan.

Any settlement between the conference and the school would revolve around the proposed revenue-sharing plan , and an agreement is likely to end the litigation.

The school asked Tallahassee-based Circuit Judge John C. Cooper for a partial summary judgment in the case on Sept. 13, claiming millions of dollars are "needlessly being consumed" in the case. (A partial summary judgment is a court ruling on some issues in a case while leaving others for trial.)

FSU asked for decisions on if the ACC's "grant of rights" is enforceable. It also asked for judgment on the school's claims of the ACC's breach of contract when it sued FSU without the required number of votes from member institutions and on the conference's exit fee.

Just five days after the filing, a report from Yahoo Sports Ross Dellenger suggested the ACC and both FSU and Clemson, with whom the ACC is also battling legally, have discussed a new revenue-sharing plan.

The proposal would keep both schools in the conference for now in exchange for revenue distribution based on television viewership and other media metrics.

The ACC paid out $44 million per school in 2022-23, with the SEC paying out $51.3 million per school and the BIG10 paying schools in the range of $58 million-$60 million dollars per year.

Reports also suggest that the plan would shorten the conference's Grant of Rights, expiring in 2030 rather than the previous 2036 expiration.

What is the status of FSU's legal battles with the ACC?

• In the Leon County case, both FSU and the ACC entered mediation talks but did not come to an initial agreement per a court filing on Aug. 20. The ACC recently responded to FSU's second amended complaint for declaratory judgment as that case is still moving forward while the appeals process takes place. FSU asked for a summary judgment from Cooper.
• The ACC had its appeal of Coopers' rulings heard in the Florida 1st District Court of Appeals. There has been no ruling made, and no timetable given for when to expect one. The ACC filed another appeal of Coopers' ruling to deny the conference motion to stay the case in Leon County
• In April, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a lawsuit against the conference demanding the media contracts, Grant of Rights and ESPN agreement be revealed in accordance with Florida public records law. The case has since been dropped by Moody as she received and released heavily redacted copies of the ACC-ESPN agreement in August.
• In May, FSU filed a nearly 600-page complaint in North Carolina asking for the state's supreme court to review the April decision given by the judge there. The petition asks for a writ of certiorari, a formal request for the court to review a case for error or a violation. The ACC responded to FSU's appeal , saying FSU's appeal "fails on its face" because it doesn't show that the court's decision was “patently arbitrary."

Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU has spent over $3 million in legal fees on court battle against the ACC, records show