UW attempting to join Pac-12 claim to dismiss it

Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Personnel WriterOct 9, 2023, 06:50 PM ET

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• Covers the Pac-12.
• Joined ESPN in 2014.
• Participated In Washington State University.The University of Washington filed a motion to intervene in Whitman County (Wash. )Superior Court on Monday, looking for to sign up with the lawsuit submitted by Washington State and Oregon State versus the Pac-12 and commissioner George Kliavkoff.If granted, the movement would lead the way for Washington to submit

  a motion to dismiss the suit, which neither the school nor the 9 other departing Pac-12 universities– Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, UCLA, UC Berkeley, USC, Utah and Stanford– currently has the authority to do while not a party to the claim. UW acted upon behalf of the 10 universities mostly for jurisdictional factors, as the original grievance was submitted in Washington.On Sept. 9, WSU and OSU filed a problem for breach of laws and looked for an emergency situation short-lived limiting order to secure what the schools viewed as an “impending and existential danger” to the future of the conference. The TRO request was granted Sept. 27, at which point a hearing for an initial injunction was set for Nov. 14. The hearing would likely determine who would have voting rights on the Pac-12’s board. “UW has a substantial stake in opposing WSU and OSU’s claims and preventing the Court from giving the relief asked for,”the motion states.”True, UW is leaving the Conference after the 2023-24 academic year. However, in the meantime, UW stays a member of the Conference, and board participation and ballot power impacts the experience of UW’s athletics teams and student-athletes for the 2023-24 academic year along with UW’s bargained-for contractual rights and financial interest. “WSU and OSU have competed that each of the 10 leaving schools’announcements that they will relocate to brand-new conferences next year qualifies

  as a notification to withdraw from the Pac-12, which would, per conference laws, eliminated their voting power. That precedent was set, they argued, when USC and UCLA no longer had ballot power when they revealed they were joining the Big Ten in the summer season of 2022. The 10 leaving schools are challenging the premises for that precedent.”As we share another unforgettable fall season of Pac-12 sports, we recognize the complicated

  challenges of the current scenario,”those schools said in a joint statement.”Our court filings demonstrate how our schools remain in complete compliance with the Pac-12 Bylaws, which prohibit a member from leaving the conference before August 2024 however permit schools to reveal a withdrawal that will happen after that date. We are eagerly anticipating taking part in additional honest and positive conversations that will enable us to reach a fair resolution and position our communities for future success.”WSU and OSU launched their own declaration Monday, contending that the 10 schools are” relying on flimsy arguments to try to get away responsibility”and that the duo deserves to determine the future of the conference.Last week, the celebrations also went into mediation to look for a resolution outside the legal system. WSU and OSU have actually made it clear they think the leaving schools do not have a claim to the conference’s staying assets. Two weeks earlier, the WSU and OSU presidents stated they are in the procedure of comprehending what those properties are and how they compare with the existing liabilities, which will notify their choice for how to move forward.”If the Court grants WSU and OSU the relief they look for, WSU and OSU would have the ability to make decisions by fiat through the Conference Board that would affect each of the essential [leaving] institutions that can not be joined [to the suit], numerous countless dollars in the schools’profits and liabilities, and the existing and future experiences of their student-athletes, “UW’s motion states.”This would have far-reaching effects. “There is a Oct. 13 due date for parties to produce files responsive to requests for production as part of the expedited discovery procedure.