The legal battle between the University of California, Los Angeles, the City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company continues as the school mulls potentially abandoning its lease to play football at the Rose Bowl. The school is reportedly looking to decamp to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood to take advantage of its proximity to the university campus as well as increased revenue generation opportunities with more premium seating and luxury suites.
Neither the Rose Bowl Operating Company nor the City of Pasadena violated the Rose Bowl’s long-term lease agreement before the university began considering a move to SoFi Stadium earlier this year, Pasadena Now reported, citing a new document filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
UCLA’s lease states that the school can abandon its agreement early only in the case of a “game-threatening default,” or an immediate issue that would keep the team from playing at the stadium, the Los Angeles Times reported. Under its current lease, the UCLA Bruins cannot play its home football games in another stadium in Los Angeles or Orange Counties through June 2044, according to the New York Times.
The City of Pasadena and Rose Bowl Operating Company filed its lawsuit against UCLA in October, adding SoFi Stadium and SoFi site owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment — to the lawsuit last month. The plaintiffs sued the Regents of the University of California to compel UCLA to honor its contract.
A breach notice from UCLA as required under its contract could have given the City of Pasadena a chance to address any alleged deficiencies or operational concerns. The latest legal document filed describes UCLA’s purported intentions dating back to early this year and claims that the university never alleged any contractual default by the City or Rose Bowl.
“At no time has UCLA ever asserted that any ‘game-threatening default’ exists [or any default by the RBOC or the City for that matter] under the agreement or otherwise,” Jens Weiden, general manager of the Rose Bowl, says in the documents, per Pasadena Now.
The lack of a breach claim is notable because UCLA representatives were reportedly involved in private discussions in late 2024 and early 2025, Weiden says, claiming that he became aware from multiple credible sources that UCLA was looking into an “imminent relocation” to SoFi Stadium. Soon thereafter, reports from UCLA athletics personnel indicated that the university was in talks with SoFi Stadium executives, including Kevin Demoff, president of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, over revenue-sharing models among other topics.
At the same time, the suit says, UCLA continued with business as usual in its planning with the Rose Bowl as if their long-term agreement wasn’t going anywhere. UCLA purportedly led the Rose Bowl on as they discussed field renovations and design work for premium seating, suggesting to the city and the Rose Bowl Operating Company that UCLA would honor its lease and stay in the historic sports venue.
Part of the lease includes a dispute-resolution clause that allows a judge to pick a neutral third party during the dispute process. UCLA has filed a motion to compel the two sides to enter arbitration, but the city has yet to agree to enter into the dispute-resolution process.
The UC Regents have asked the Los Angeles County Superior Court to halt deposition notices issued by the Rose Bowl Operating Committee as well as the discovery process until the court hears UCLA’s motion to compel arbitration next month, Pasadena Now reported. The Rose Bowl Operating Committee sent deposition notices for UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond, vice chancellor and CFO Stephen Agostini and deputy athletics director and chief revenue officer Daniel Cruz.
“The court should quash plaintiffs’ deposition notices and issue a protective order prohibiting the depositions because this case belongs in arbitration,” the Regents argued, noting that allowing discovery before a ruling on arbitration “would interfere” with any future arbitral proceedings.
As for whether UCLA is actually moving its football games to SoFi Stadium, the university said nothing is set in stone yet.
“No decision has been made,” the school said, per the New York Times.
A hearing on the Regents’ request for a stay is slated for Jan. 8. A Jan. 22 hearing regarding the motion to compel arbitration will follow.
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