Oregon State, Washington State file complaint against Pac-12 - ESPN

Oregon State and Washington State filed a legal complaint against the Pac-12 and commissioner George Kliavkoff on Friday seeking an emergency temporary restraining order to protect what the schools see as an «imminent and existential threat» to the future of the conference.

With the intent of «exploring opportunities to sustain the Pac-12,» the schools are asking for a board meeting of all 12 members Wednesday to be canceled and for legal clarity to be given on who has voting rights to control the future of the league.

With 10 of the conference's 12 members announcing their departures within the past 18 months, Pac-12 bylaws indicate that the presidents at Oregon State and Washington State — the only members that have not given notification of withdrawal — should constitute the league's board of directors.

The legal filing by the two schools and its presidents was made in state court in Whitman County, Washington, which is where Washington State is located. The filings include a request for a hearing on the temporary restraining order on Monday, which could give clarity before the scheduled meeting two days later.

«Defendants' actions have left Plaintiffs with no choice but to bring this emergency temporary restraining order to preserve the status quo until a hearing can be had on a preliminary injunction,» the filing says. «Plaintiffs are willing to schedule a prompt preliminary injunction hearing and conduct any needed discovery on an expedited basis.»

At the heart of the dispute is the distribution of the Pac-12's remaining assets. The filing states that the Pac-12 ended the 2022 fiscal year with $42.7 million in total net assets, a figure that does not include the equity value of the conference's ownership of the