Judge puts stop to Pac-12 meeting

A judge granted a request by Oregon State and Washington State for a temporary restraining order on Monday to prevent departing Pac-12 members from meeting until it can be determined who has the right to chart the future of the disintegrating conference.

At a hearing in Whitman County Superior Court in Washington, Judge Gary Libey ruled that a board of directors meeting scheduled for later this week with conference Commissioner George Kliavkoff and university leaders from 10 departing members cannot take place.

The judge did not immediately set another court date.

Oregon State and Washington State want full control over decision making for the conference as the only schools committed to the league beyond the current school year. The schools filed the breach of bylaws complaint Friday.

Leaders of the Pacific Northwest schools have stated they would like to rebuild the Pac-12, taking control of its assets and intellectual property while preserving its brand. They say they fear the outgoing schools will try to dissolve the conference and divvy up its assets on the way out the door if they are permitted to convene a board meeting.

Eric MacMichael, an attorney for Oregon State, said under the Pac-12 bylaws, Oregon State and Washington State should have the opportunity to keep the conference alive without any interference from outgoing members.

Oregon State and Washington State contend that eight schools — Arizona,

Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Stanford and California — forfeited their right to be on the board when they announced their intentions to join other conferences next year.

USC and UCLA were stripped of voting rights by the Pac-12 in 2022 when they decided to join the Big Ten.

The official departure date for schools leaving the Pac-12 is July 31, 2024.

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