Senior Judge Claudia Wilken of the Northern District of California has allowed the Pac-12’s lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference’s poaching fees to go forward. The Mountain West Conference is demanding $55 million from the Pac-12, due to the five programs the latter snatched away from the former.
The news was shared by Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, who tweeted the following information on Sept. 30:
“A California judge today denied a motion from the Mountain West to dismiss a lawsuit from the Pac-12 challenging the validity of $100M+ in poaching fees that the MWC says the league owes it for acquiring five of its members. The Pac-12’s lawsuit rolls onward.”
A California judge today denied a motion from the Mountain West to dismiss a lawsuit from the Pac-12 challenging the validity of $100M+ in poaching fees that the MWC says the league owes it for acquiring five of its members.
The Pac-12’s lawsuit rolls onward. pic.twitter.com/FmBOdllLtq
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 1, 2025
The schools the Pac-12 incorporated from the Mountain West Conference were: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State. The Pac-12 and its new schools filed a lawsuit against the Mountain West last year, and they failed to reach an agreement by the July deadline for mediation earlier this year. The current hearing was requested by the Pac-12 on a pending motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
The Mountain West is asking for $10 million in penalties for the first program that left, and half a million dollars more on top of the base penalty for each program that left afterward
Pac-12 Is Happy With Judge’s Decision Against Mountain West Conference
The Pac-12 was pleased with the decision of Judge Claudia Wilken. Following the decision, the conference released the following statement:
“The Pac-12 Conference is pleased that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denied the Mountain West Conference’s motion to dismiss,” the Pac-12 said in a statement. “We will move forward with our case. The ruling allows our antitrust and related claims to proceed. We remain confident in our position and focused on advancing academic excellence, athletic achievement, and the tradition that has defined the Pac-12 for more than a century.”
Wilken was also the judge in charge of the ‘House v. NCAA’ case and eventual settlement.
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