Clemson, ACC officially dismiss dueling lawsuits after months of litigation
CLEMSON — Clemson's lawsuit against the Atlantic Coast Conference is officially over after nearly a year of legal battles between the school and the conference in South Carolina and North Carolina.
On June 3, Clemson filed a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice in Pickens County, South Carolina. The ACC filed a notice of voluntary dismissal with prejudice in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, on the same day. Florida State's lawyers filed to dismiss the case in Leon County, Florida, too.
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Clemson and Florida State sued the ACC over their grant-of-rights agreements and withdrawal penalty, which was initially seen as the first legal step to departing the league. The conference sued them both. Neither Clemson nor FSU officially declared that they were intending to leave the conference during the legal battle.
After a year-plus legal fight between the schools and the conference, all agreed to settle their disputes in March. Clemson hired four law firms during the lawsuit and paid a total of $2.04 million for over 3,300 hours of work.
The settlement framework revolved around the ACC's enabling a new revenue distribution model that will reward performance and media value by viewership. The model will go into effect in the upcoming year, and Clemson anticipates it can generate $120 million in new revenue during the next six years based on the model and the conference's ACC success initiatives.
Additionally, the exit cost to leave the conference will be lowered. The current ACC exit fee is $165 million for the 2026 fiscal year, but it will drop by $18 million year over year before it becomes a flat $75 million fee by the 2030-31 season. Any school that pays the withdrawal fee will leave with its media rights.
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MORE: Why Clemson is set up to leave the ACC in the next decade after settlement of dueling lawsuits
This will be around the same time when TV deals for the Big Ten (2029-30), Big 12 (2030) and the College Football Playoff (2031) will be up for renewal. Clemson will have the flexibility to determine its next move amid these changes to remain in the ACC, try to join a new conference or for its football program to join a potential super league.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson, ACC dismiss lawsuits, officially end litigation
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