The UC Regents are asking a judge to quash deposition notices issued by the Rose Bowl Operating Committee’s and to halt all discovery pending a January hearing on its bid to compel arbitration of the case.
The RBOC and the city of Pasadena contend in their three contractual claims that UCLA is wrongfully exploring options for a new home football venue, specifically SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. In court papers filed Tuesday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner, the Regents attorneys, on behalf of UCLA, state that on Nov. 25 the RBOC served deposition notices for Martin Jarmond, director of Athletics for UCLA; Stephen Agostini, vice chancellor and chief financial officer of UCLA; and Daniel Cruz, deputy athletics director and chief revenue officer of UCLA.
The attorneys on both sides were unable to find a resolution to the deposition dispute, resulting in the current motion, according to the UC Regents’ court papers.
“This court should quash plaintiffs’ deposition notices and issue a protective order prohibiting the depositions because this case belongs in arbitration and conducting merits-based discovery in the trial court prior to a ruling on UCLA’s motion to compel arbitration would interfere with any arbitration ultimately ordered,” according to the UC Regents lawyers’ pleadings.
The RBOC would gain an unfair advantage and obtain information through formal discovery methods that they would not be entitled to in arbitration, the UC Regents lawyers further state.
A hearing on the UC Regents’ motion for a stay of proceedings is scheduled for Jan. 8 and the motion to compel arbitration is set for Jan. 22.
The suit filed Oct. 29 seeks to enforce the terms of a lease agreement the plaintiff claims locks UCLA into playing football at the venue until 2044, which the UC Regents attorneys acknowledge in their court papers.
According to the lawsuit, UCLA has expressed its intent “to abandon the Rose Bowl Stadium and relocate its home football games to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.”
“This is not only a clear break of the contract that governs the parties’ relationship, but it is also a profound betrayal of trust, of tradition, and of the very community that helped build UCLA football,” the lawsuit states.