FSU ordered to pay media’s legal fees
From the Orlando Sentinel.
TALLAHASSEE — The law firm that represented state media outlets in pursuit of public records relating to the academic fraud scandal at Florida State will receive $325,000 in legal fees from FSU and the NCAA, a mediator here ruled on Friday.
Florida State will pay $65,000 and the NCAA $260,000. Several state media outlets, including the Orlando Sentinel, went to court to fight for access to public records related to the academic fraud scandal that forced FSU to lose scholarships in several sports and vacate 12 victories in football, among other sanctions.
In the legal case, the state Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that several documents related to FSU’s case – including ones stored on a NCAA custodial website – were indeed public records under the state law. The latest ruling means that the state media outlets that fought for the records will save hundreds of thousands in legal fees.
“We hope that the attorneys’ fee payment here sends a strong message to government agencies – and private entities seeking to impose secrecy,” said Carol Jean Lo Cicero, who has represented the media outlets throughout the records case. “Don’t mess with public records in Florida. We will fight for open government and hand you the tab.”
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