Overview
- Kelly filed a petition late Monday in the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish seeking a declaratory judgment that LSU owes the contract’s liquidated damages.
- According to the lawsuit, LSU told Kelly’s attorneys on Nov. 10 that he had not been “formally terminated” and, for the first time, asserted potential grounds to fire him for cause.
- The suit says LSU had previously described the split as performance-related and had never alleged for-cause conduct before this week; the university declined to comment.
- Documents and the filing indicate Kelly rejected lump-sum settlement offers of $25 million and $30 million that were discussed during initial talks led by then–athletic director Scott Woodward.
- The complaint notes LSU now questions Woodward’s authority to terminate or negotiate, while Kelly’s contract calls for roughly $54 million in buyout payments made monthly through 2031 with mitigation offsets.