USC legal challenge denied against lifetime Gamecock ticket holder
The South Carolina Supreme Court denied taking up a case between the University of South Carolina and a long-time Gamecock fan under original jurisdiction.
In December 2025, the university asked the South Carolina Supreme Court to rule on whether George M. Lee III, who holds a Lifetime Membership to the Gamecock Club, is entitled to buy seats inside new luxury suites coming to the Williams-Brice Stadium.
The court blocked USC’s petition for original jurisdiction and Lee’s subsequent request for sanctions, according to court documents.
The university was seeking a “declaratory judgment” against Lee, a Columbia commercial real estate attorney, and wanted 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.
“We thank the court for its review, and we are currently exploring next steps to resolve the issue,” university spokesman, Jeff Stensland told The State.
Lee — who in 1990 took out a $100,000 life insurance policy and named the Gamecock club as the sole beneficiary in exchange for a lifetime membership — signed a contract entitling him to purchase four, “best available” season football tickets.
His family has enjoyed tickets on the 50-yard line for 60 years.
But the stadium overhaul, which includes the construction of 12 “Founders” suites and 30 “luxury” suites, could’ve resulted in him and roughly 200 lifetime members having to repurchase their seats.
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 last December.
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.
How Williams-Brice stadium updates impact ticket holders
The stadium overhaul 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 facilities 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 told The State in December. “A contract is a contract. What they’re doing is pricing members out the game.”
Ted Clifford contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 5:39 PM with the headline "USC legal challenge denied against lifetime Gamecock ticket holder."
