BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (WV News) — The Mountain East Conference (MEC) and law firm Spilman Thomas & Battle (Spilman) jointly announced in a press release that the league recently received a favorable ruling in the Northern District of West Virginia in an important lawsuit involving the withdrawal of Urbana University from the conference.
Per the Court’s summary judgment ruling, Urbana is required to pay the conference exit fee, which is listed in the documents as $150,000, in full.
“While we strongly believe this issue should not have required legal action, this is the appropriate and just outcome we have hoped for since 2020,” MEC commissioner Reid Amos said in a press release. “I greatly appreciate our member Presidents who serve on our MEC Board of Directors for their consistent support regarding our commitment to achieving this result.”
Not only is this an important win for the MEC, the conference said, but the ruling has broader implications for college and university athletics. This decision represents the first ruling by a court that upholds the validity of a liquidated damages clause or “exit fee” in the context of a member school refusing to pay the same upon leaving the conference, the release said.
“This ruling reinforces the notion that the constitutions and bylaws of athletic conferences that include an exit fee are enforceable contractual agreements between the conference and its members,” Michael S. Garrison, who led the Spilman litigation team, said in a press release. “This is a significant win for the MEC and its member institutions. It is also an important and well-reasoned decision in the era of continued conference realignment.”
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