The Pac-12 Conference has been embroiled in a legal dispute with its former commissioner, George Kliavkoff, over the terms of his departure. Recently, court documents have revealed the strategy that Kliavkoff employed in order to gain a favorable outcome.
Kliavkoff was hired as the Pac-12 Commissioner in July 2020, and he quickly began to make changes to the conference’s operations. He implemented a new media rights strategy, which included the launch of the Pac-12 Network and the sale of media rights to ESPN and Fox. However, he was abruptly fired in April 2021, and the conference sued him for breach of contract.
The court documents show that Kliavkoff’s strategy was to leverage the conference’s financial resources in order to gain a favorable outcome. He argued that the conference had not fully compensated him for his work, and that he was entitled to additional compensation. He also argued that the conference had not adequately addressed his concerns about the conference’s media rights strategy.
Kliavkoff also argued that he had been wrongfully terminated, and that he should be allowed to continue in his role as commissioner. He argued that the conference had not provided him with adequate notice of his termination, and that it had violated his contractual rights.
Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of Kliavkoff, awarding him a settlement of $8 million. The court also ruled that the conference had violated Kliavkoff’s contractual rights, and ordered the conference to pay his legal fees.
The court documents provide an interesting insight into Kliavkoff’s strategy in the dispute. He was able to leverage the conference’s financial resources in order to gain a favorable outcome, and he was ultimately successful in his efforts. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of understanding one’s contractual rights when entering into an agreement with an employer.
