It got ugly, as separations often tend to do. Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis left LSU on not-so-friendly terms last year.

The memory lingers as lawsuits play out in court.

A judge in Texas dismissed Chavis’ lawsuit against LSU, leaving a Louisiana court to decide whether Chavis is obligated to pay a $400,000 buyout. In the Texas suit, Chavis claimed the school owed him more than $200,000 in unpaid vacation and academic performance bonuses and sought more than $400,000 in penalties.

Chavis also claimed that LSU altered his contract after it was signed. The Baton Rouge Advocate reported on Thursday that LSU now admits to doing so but that the alterations were “nominal” and did not affect its terms. It also reported that a judge has granted a motion compelling Chavis to to release his phone records for a 14-week period starting in November 2014.

A state district judge on Thursday also ruled that Chavis defamation claim against LSU would proceed.

What drove Chavis to leave Baton Rouge after six successful seasons with LSU is up for debate. It doesn’t appear to be any one single instance but perhaps a lot of little ones that built up until he decided he’d had enough. His relationship with Tigers head coach Les Miles seemed to be an amiable one, so he says publicly.

But behind the scenes, things were beginning to heat up. His side of the ball began to catch the ire of the fan base despite Chavis producing some of the top defenses in the country.

LSU ranked among the top 15 defenses in the nation over his final four years in Baton Rouge. In 2014, his last at LSU, the Tigers ranked fourth nationally in passing yards allowed per game, yielding an average of just 162.3 yards.

Yet Chavis remained on the receiving end of criticism for LSU defenses giving up last-minute drives that resulted in defeat. Ironically, Chavis’ final game with LSU, a 31-28 loss to Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl, defined the disapproval.

Lamin Barrow, Jalen Collins, Kwon Alexander, Ego Ferguson, Craig Loston, Danielle Hunter, Ronald Martin, Anthony Johnson, all future NFL players, lined up for Chavis, but they still didn’t get the job done.

But contract dispute is the official reason given by both sides as the reason for Chavis moving over to College Station this season. He’s now the Texas A&M defensive coordinator, which means he’ll face off with LSU every year.

According to court documents filed earlier this year, Chavis claims that his contract offer included a clause that if Miles got fired, he could be fired as well and the remaining terms of the contract would not be honored. He refused to sign the deal and eventually bolted for Texas A&M instead, despite Miles wanting to keep him, offering a reported $5.4 million over three years.

It was an ugly mess that isn’t over yet. And we will be reminded of it every time Miles takes the field with LSU and Chavis is on the opposite sidelines with Texas A&M.