ACC motion to pause Florida State case in Leon County rejected by appeals court

The first domino in the Atlantic Coast Conference's (ACC) appeal of Leon Circuit John Cooper's rulings in the lawsuit vs. Florida State University has fallen.

And it wasn't in the ACC's favor.

On Friday, Florida's First District Court of Appeals denied the conference motion to stay the case in Florida, allowing proceedings to continue through the court of appeals as the ACC looks to fight the decisions made in Leon County Court .

The ACC appealed Judge Cooper's rulings in the case on June 5, specifically pointing to his denial of a motion to stay the case, with the judge believing the conference partook in "forum shopping," or filing a lawsuit in a favorable venue.

The decision to deny the motion to stay is just one of the issues of the appeal, with the ACC's broader claim of Judge Cooper committing a "judicial foul" still yet to receive a response from FSU.

What is happening in the other FSU, ACC lawsuits?

• On June 21,  Cooper denied the ACC's motion to dismiss  FSU's lawsuit against the conference in Leon County, allowing the case to continue to move forward in the Florida legal system.

• 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.

• On June 13, Moody said she doesn't need a hearing to get the media contracts from the ACC, citing Florida's public record law and saying a judge can make a ruling on her request now. A Leon County judge said there will be a hearing, with a date yet to be given for the hearing.

• 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 preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamroone y

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida appeals court rejects ACC's motion to stay FSU lawsuit