ACC court filing accuses FSU of breach of contract, seeks damages - ESPN

The Atlantic Coast Conference filed an amended complaint in Superior Court on Tuesday seeking damages from Florida State for «serial breaches of critical legal promises and obligations» and questioned FSU's right to have leadership in ACC positions.

The 55-page filing in Mecklenburg County (North Carolina) marks the latest in the procedural jockeying between the ACC and Florida State over that school's challenge to the league's grant of rights.

The ACC had initially filed a claim on Dec. 21 to protect the league's grant of rights, which run through 2036. FSU filed the next day in Leon County (Florida), claiming that the ACC restrained trade and breached the contract and citing years of mismanagement in the league.

It began what promises to be a prolonged legal battle to test the legality of the ACC's grant of rights agreement.

The ACC filing on Tuesday includes six claims, including FSU breaching its contract with the ACC, FSU breaching confidentiality in the media rights agreement and breaching fiduciary obligations and obligations of good faith.

The complaint includes a new claim for potentially «substantial» damages from alleged contract breaches: «The Conference have and recover of Florida State damages for its breach of the ACC Constitution and Bylaws in an amount to be proven at trial but which the Conference believes will be substantial.»

The filing also challenges FSU's ability to have school officials in conference leadership positions, which includes FSU president Richard McCullough being on the ACC's board of directors and the finance committee.

It asks for a «permanent injunction barring Florida State from participating in the management of the affairs of the Conference while it has a direct and material