LSU lawsuit against John Chavis must go to jury; judge refuses to toss suit

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A Baton Rouge state judge refused Monday to throw out LSU's lawsuit against former Tigers defensive coordinator John Chavis, saying a jury should decide whether either side breached his contract.

District Judge Tim Kelley agreed with LSU's attorneys that a three-year contract Chavis signed after the 2011 season, and an amended contract that he never signed, are "fundamentally the same on the issues involved."

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Chavis, who abruptly left LSU in December 2014 to become the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, was not in the courtroom. Chavis and Texas A&M contend he did not officially begin work there until Feb. 13, 2015.

Chavis, however, is seen in photographs recruiting for Texas A&M in January 2015 and posing for photos with prospects while donning Aggies gear.

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Texas A&M is responsible for Chavis' buyout, according to his contract with the Aggies.

Chavis claims LSU owes him more than $200,000 in unpaid vacation time and academic performance bonuses, plus another $445,000 in penalty wages.

LSU sued him in February 2015, when he also filed his own lawsuit against LSU in Texas. That suit was dismissed last year.

There is no trial date set on the Baton Rouge case.

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