No matter which side of the FSU and Clemson lawsuits against the ACC you’re on, the initial decisions and rulings would set the tone.
If some of the early rulings were against the ACC, a settlement was likely coming. If the early rulings went against in this case FSU, then the ACC has no reason to even think about settling. I’m no lawyer, and I’ll defer to the legal experts on a deeper discussion on this, but it sure feels like most of the early rulings went the ACC’s way Thursday.
So much so, that the ACC released a statement pleased with the results as reported by ESPN.
The ruling by Judge Louis A. Bledsoe III is seen as a significant win for the ACC, as it would likely mean the battle between the league and Florida State would proceed in North Carolina rather than Florida, where FSU filed its own lawsuit against the conference.
“We are pleased with today’s decision, which confirms North Carolina courts are the proper place to enforce the ACC’s agreements and bylaws,” the ACC said in a statement. “We remain committed to acting in the best interests of the league’s members and will see this process through to protect and advance the ACC.”
Florida State’s statement is less positive.
“Although it’s highly unusual for a court to dismiss a lawsuit at this initial stage, we are disappointed in the Court’s decision not to dismiss the North Carolina lawsuit,” Florida State said in a statement. “At the same time, we appreciate the ruling today that Florida State could not have breached any supposed fiduciary duties to the ACC by seeking legal relief from the Conference’s gross mishandling of member school media rights. We will continue to aggressively advocate for the University, for FSU Athletics, and for the sovereignty of the State of Florida as these cases proceed.”
So what does this really mean? I don’t know. What I am sure of is FSU and Clemson aren’t close to giving up. Frankly, that’s not even on the radar screen. They are going to do whatever it takes to leave the ACC, but the ACC is going to dig in deeper than ever. There will be motions, appeals, and maybe a move to Federal Court. Who knows? There isn’t going to be a quick settlement. This is going to go on for a while.
If you want to see true legal analysis of this case, I suggest @RohanLawPC and @mckenzielaw.
Judge for yourself.
