NEWARK — The Big East Conference will get until the end of the month to respond to Rutgers University's breach of contract lawsuit as the high-profile college sports fight moves to federal court.

Rutgers officials sued the conference in November on the same day the university announced it was leaving the Big East to join the Big Ten. The university’s attorneys argued Rutgers should not have to pay a $10 million exit fee for leaving the league.

On Monday, Big East attorney Russell Hewit filed court papers notifying the judge both sides have agreed to extend the deadline for the league to respond to the lawsuit to Jan. 31. Conference officials have not commented on Rutgers’ allegations the Big East is unfairly charging the school an exit fee and reneged on promises to pay the university millions it is owed.

Hewit did not respond to requests to comment on the case yesterday. A Rutgers spokesman also declined to comment.

Last month, attorneys for the Big East filed a request to have the complex case moved from Superior Court in New Brunswick to federal court in Newark. They argued a federal court judge should hear the case because the dispute crosses state lines and involves millions of dollars. Rutgers is based in New Brunswick and the Big East is headquartered in Rhode Island.

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Rutgers officials filed their lawsuit Nov. 20, minutes before announcing the university was leaving the troubled Big East and bringing its football team and other sports to the wealthier, more prestigious Big Ten.

Under Big East rules, Rutgers must pay $10 million and wait 27 months to leave the conference.

But Rutgers’ attorneys argued Big East officials permitted several schools — including Syracuse, West Virginia and the University of Pittsburgh — to pay reduced exit penalties or leave before the 27-month waiting period.

Rutgers also accused the Big East of holding back millions of dollars owed to the university.

According to the lawsuit, Rutgers was never given its share of $39 million in exit fees other schools paid for leaving the Big East. The conference also allegedly failed to reimburse Rutgers for $1.3 million the school says it lost when it canceled a home football game against Texas Christian University when that school backed out on a deal to join the Big East.

The legal fight comes as the remaining members of the Big East are debating the future of the league.

Last week, the presidents of seven Catholic schools with basketball teams in the Big East met in New York City to discuss starting a new or rejiggered basketball conference. The group, which includes Seton Hall University in South Orange, released a statement Friday announcing the presidents hired a law firm and a communications consultant as “we continue to pursue our evolution.”

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