Washington State, Oregon State release joint statement on Washington's attempt to dismiss lawsuit
The University of Washington has decided to represent the 10 outgoing Pac-12 schools, filing a motion on Monday to join the lawsuit brought on by Washington State and Oregon State in an effort to dismiss it.
WSU and OSU, who jointly filed the lawsuit on Sept. 9 arguing a breach of bylaws and even went as far as requesting a temporary restraining order, as they saw the other Pac-12 schools as an “imminent and existential threat,” to preserving the conference.
The two remaining Pac-12 teams have since released a statement, condemning Washington for attempting to dismiss the suit on their way out the door.
“The departing schools continue to undermine our efforts to secure the future of the Pac-12 Conference,” the two schools said in a statement provided by Jon Wilner on X. “They are relying on flimsy arguments to try to escape accountability for their actions. It won’t work. Their decisions directly damaged the Pac-12 and are causing real harm to the Conference, OSU, WSU, student-athletes, and the people of Oregon and Washington.
“We did not create or seek these circumstances, but OSU and WSU will continue to take whatever actions are necessary to protect our universities, ensure accountability and transparency, safeguard the Pac-12 Conference, and preserve our options moving forward. The future of the Pac-12 should be decided by the schools who stay, not those who go.”
If Washington’s motion is granted, that will give UW leverage to potentially dismiss the case. They were the chosen school to represent the outgoing Pac-12 programs, mainly for reasons pertaining to legal jurisdiction, as the suit is being tried at Whitman County (Wash.) Superior Court.
A preliminary injunction has been set for Nov. 14 and will determine how voting rights will be distributed across the Pac-12’s board.
“UW has a significant stake in opposing WSU and OSU’s claims and preventing the Court from granting the relief requested,” the motion states, via ESPN. “True, UW is leaving the Conference after the 2023-24 academic year. But, in the meantime, UW remains a member of the Conference, and board participation and voting power affects the experience of UW’s athletics teams and student-athletes for the 2023-24 academic year as well as UW’s bargained-for contractual rights and financial interest.”
The deadline provided for all parties to produce supporting documents requested by the court is Oct. 13 in an effort to speed up the process on an official decision.