USC files legal challenge against lifetime Gamecock ticket holder By Ted Clifford Updated December 10, 2025 3:33 PM A much-hyped nine-figure overhaul of the Williams-Brice Stadium is set to double the number of suites in the stadium and displace thousands of longtime ticket holders. Now, the University of South Carolina is suing one of those fans whose family has held tickets on the 50-yard line for 60 years. The state’s flagship university has asked the South Carolina Supreme Court to rule on whether a Gamecock fan’s “Lifetime Membership” entitles him to buy seats inside the luxury suites coming to the Williams-Brice Stadium. First reported by the Sport Business Journal, the university is seeking a “declaratory judgment” against George M. Lee III, a Columbia commercial real estate attorney. The university wants the state’s highest court to decide whether Lifetime Members like Lee are able to buy into the suites without paying premium pricing or making a capital contribution, according to court filings. But Lee, who was representing a group of Lifetime Members in discussions with the university, told The State that’s not what he asked for. “I was trying to avoid all of this,” Lee told The State. “I never told them, I wanted a suite and I wasn’t going to pay the fee. I told them, 'all I want is to stay where I sit now.’” Lee is one of roughly 200 lifetime members (who are entitled to eight seats apiece) who will lose the seating they’ve had for decades when the university revamps the stadium. Recently the Gamecocks Club, the official university athletics booster organization, said that they would require all season ticket holders to repurchase their seats. “South Carolina Athletics does not take the filing of this petition lightly. The potential challenges presented here are significant to the Williams–Brice Stadium Reimagination project,” read a statement provided by Jeff Stensland, a vice presidents of communications at USC, on behalf of the athletics department. Because the issue is currently in court, Stensland declined to answer further questions. In 1990, Lee became signed a contract with the Gamecock club to become a Lifetime Member in exchange for naming the club the beneficiary of the $100,000 life insurance policy. That membership entitled him to purchase four, “best available” season football tickets. For Lee, he says that means keeping seats on the 50-yard line that his dad bought 60 years ago. The problem is whether those rights allow Lifetime Members to claim seats in the new suites that the university is planning to build inside of Williams-Brice. In an email, Lee pointed out to a representative of the university that a 2014 South Carolina Supreme Court ruling could be interpreted to mean that Lifetime Members could purchase suites for $150,000 without paying any additional fees or making contributions required of suite-holders. Doing so would require the university to “re-sell fragments of those suites to individual season ticket holders at legacy prices,” lawyers for the university said in their complaint filed Tuesday. The State reached out to the University of South Carolina for a comment. That 2014 ruling came from a previous lawsuit he had with the university over football tickets. In 2014, the state Supreme Court sided with Lee when he argued that the terms of his lifetime membership meant that he should not have to pay a recently introduced “seat licensing fee” in order to buy his tickets. Lee also unsuccessfully sued the university over being assigned parking spots without “any particular parking space or selection priority,” according to the Sports Business Journal. But speaking to The State, Lee was clear that no litigation had been filed. On Dec. 5, he sent an email to representatives of the university stating that he and other Lifetime member “are all now to the point where we feel as if it might be time to retain counsel to represent our interest.” Lee added ”it takes a lot to irritate me and I am rapidly approaching the point where I will be the lead dog inthe pack and will do what is necessary to protect my rights and also those of the other Lifetime Members.” But just days after Lee emailed the university indicating that some lifetime members were considering litigation, the university sued him. The university is represented by leading South Carolina law firm Maynard Nexsen and Womble Bond Dickinson, an international law firm. Lee is being represented by attorney Mark Hardy. “I kind of feel like I’m being bullied,” Lee said. “I had to write a very large check this morning and I was trying to avoid all of this.” How are Williams-Brice stadium updates impacting ticket holders? The stadium overhaul, which includes the construction of 12 “Founders” suites and 30 “luxury” suites, has a budget of $350 million and is seen as a major upgrade for the stadium that has fallen behind competitors in terms of high-end amenities. New Founders suites will include 1,300 square feet of private space, 28 reserved seats, access to the exclusive Founders Club, all-inclusive food and beverage service (including beer, wine, and liquor) and a dedicated suite attendant. Also included would be five parking passes, private stadium access on days other than football game days and priority to purchase tickets to other events, including concerts. Lawyers for the university have said in their court filings that the university would have to “unbundle” all of these perks if Lifetime Members were able to buy into these suites. Building premium facilties in Williams-Brice has become a major initiative for USC and the Gamecock football. Currently, the stadium has the fewest suites of any SEC school. In their statement, the university athletics department said that they filed the legal action so that they could remain competitive and generate new revenue streams. But Lee said the real concern was the loss of 4,100 seats on the stadium’s lower west side. Everyone who holds season tickets there will have to repurchase them, according to the University. Lee said that his concern long term is for ticket holders who have fewer protections than the Lifetime Members. “When the Lifetime Members took this program, the Gamecock Club was desperate for money. They’ve collected millions of dollars of insurance payouts, and when I die, they’ll get $100,000,” Lee said. “A contract is a contract. What they’re doing is pricing members out the game.”
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