Sidley Secures Third Major Victory for City of Pasadena and Rose Bowl Operating Company in UCLA Stadium Dispute

Sidley Austin LLP represents the City of Pasadena (City) and the Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC) in a high-profile dispute concerning UCLA’s proposed relocation of its home football games from the Rose Bowl Stadium to SoFi Stadium. In a significant victory, the Los Angeles Superior Court denied UCLA’s anti-SLAPP motion and overruled demurrers filed by UCLA and the Stadium Defendants (Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, LLC and Stadco LA LLC). The ruling rejected UCLA’s third attempt to stay the case on procedural grounds without reaching the merits.

The dispute arises from UCLA’s alleged effort to abandon its long-term contractual commitment, extending through 2044, to play home football games at the Rose Bowl. UCLA argued in its motion to strike that the City and RBOC relied on “privileged” settlement statements as the basis of its complaint. The court declined to reach the merits, finding UCLA failed to seek leave to file its untimely motion outside of the 60-day statutory window.

The Court further rejected Defendants’ remaining substantive motions to dismiss, sustaining only a secondary promissory estoppel demurrer, one of six causes of action. In doing so, the court disagreed with UCLA’s substantive arguments and its attempt to distinguish contract terms, and found that the City and RBOC have sufficiently pled its breach of contract, anticipatory repudiation, declaratory relief, and breach of good faith and fair dealing claims. The court similarly rejected arguments by the Stadium Defendants to dismiss the tortious interference and damages claims asserted against those parties. 

The decision marks the City and RBOC’s third significant early victory in the action, and positions the case to proceed expeditiously toward merits-based adjudication. 

The team was led by Nima H. Mohebbi, Rollin Ransom, Rara Kang, David R. Carpenter, Kyle Tanzer, Sebastian Wadier, Ana Pajar Blinder, Christine Karaoglanian, Patrick Musgrave, and Maggie Jablonski.