Who's In Control? - Part 4

With the Pac-12 reduced to being the Pac-2 next year, a development which began with the departures of UCLA and USC, litigation has developed over who now controls its assets and administration. It appears that the remaining two members - Oregon State and Washington State - have at least won an initial round in the control fight. From a news release by Oregon State: [excerpt]

Dear OSU Community Members

As you know, Oregon State University and Washington State University initiated legal action in September to confirm the governance structure of the Pac-12 Conference, gain access to business information and protect the conference’s assets. In taking this action, we felt a sense of urgency to protect our universities, ensure accountability and transparency, safeguard the Pac-12 Conference, and preserve our options moving forward.

Today the Whitman County Superior Court in Washington decided that Oregon State and Washington State constitute the only remaining members of the Pac-12 Conference Board, granting our request for a preliminary injunction order until the case can ultimately be decided at trial.

This is an important day for OSU student-athletes, the Pac-12 conference and all of Beaver Nation, but our fight is not yet over. The departing 10 schools have announced their intention to appeal this decision. However, we continue to be confident in our position and look forward to working in a collaborative manner with the conference and departing members on a productive path forward. From the beginning, our intentions have been to make reasonable business decisions while continuing to seek collaboration and consultation with the departing universities...

Full release at https://leadership.oregonstate.edu/speeches-and-statements/pac-12-preliminary-injunction-order-granted.