ACC sues Maryland over $50M exit fee

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference has filed a lawsuit against Maryland seeking full payment of the approximately $53 million exit fee for the school’s move to the Big Ten.

According to the 10-page lawsuit, the ACC said the school must pay $52,266,342, which is three times the league’s annual operating budget for the 2012-13 season.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the lawsuit filed Monday in Guilford County Superior Court, home to the league headquarters in Greensboro.

The lawsuit also states that Maryland President Wallace D. Loh has “refused to provide assurance” that the school will pay the exit fee and “has made it clear that defendant Maryland does not intend to pay the amount.”

In a statement, Commissioner John Swofford says the ACC’s council of presidents unanimously decided “to file legal action to ensure enforcement of this obligation.”

“We continue to extend our best wishes to the University of Maryland; however, there is the expectation that Maryland will fulfill its exit fee obligation,” Swofford said.

Brian Ullmann, Maryland’s assistant vice president for marketing and communications, declined to comment in an email Tuesday afternoon.

The league raised its exit fee to roughly $50 million in September. The exit fee is three times the league’s annual operating budget so it could fluctuate from year to year.

Maryland was one of two schools that voted against the increased exit fee. Florida State also voted against the increase.