Utah Valley University was granted a 14-day temporary restraining order against the Western Athletic Conference by a Utah Fourth District Judge on Tuesday. The TRO could pave the way for the university to seek a longer, more permanent, preliminary injunction in court later this week.
After hearing oral arguments via an online Webex hearing Monday afternoon, Fourth District Court Judge Denise M. Porter took some time to hand down her written ruling on the case by Tuesday. The ruling granted UVU the 14-day TRO and ordered the WAC to immediately reinstate UVU teams/games to all WAC-sponsored media broadcasts, permit all UVU teams to participate in postseason play and to reinstate all UVU players and coaches for postseason awards. Once the court order was handed down by the judge the 14-day clock started, providing relief for UVU’s track and field athletes to attend the WAC Indoor Track and Field Championships that begin on February 27th.
BREAKING: Judge Denise M. Porter has handed down her written ruling GRANTING UVU a 14-day temporary restraining order. UVU has had its first big win in court vs the WAC. UVU will now look for a longer term preliminary injunction ruling this Friday in Utah’s 4th district court. pic.twitter.com/J5LsHklX8K
— Brice Larson (@LarsonSports) February 24, 2026
The 14-day window, however, does not cover the upcoming WAC Men’s & Women’s basketball championships in Las Vegas that is scheduled to start on March 11th at the Orleans Arena. In order for UVU’s teams to compete in any postseason play scheduled beyond March 10th, the institution must receive further relief in the form of a preliminary injunction. There is currently another hearing scheduled for Friday February 27th to hear arguments on UVU’s motion for a preliminary injunction.
In her ruling, Judge Porter justified her ruling for granting the TRO by stating that there is a “substantial likelihood that Utah Valley University will prevail on its claims.” Those claims stem from the verified complaint filed by UVU to the same court on February 19th. The complaint accuses the WAC of orchestrating a calculated scheme to strip the university of millions in revenue, bar its athletes from championships, and publicly pressure the institution into a premature exit announcement all while quietly engineering its own escape.
Court documents also lay out how UVU was able to prove irreparable harm, a key prong of being granted a TRO. Stating that UVU’s argument of being excluded from WAC broadcasts/sponsored media and competitions and promotions is “one of the primary purposes of temporary restraining orders or injunctive relief.”
Finally, Judge Porter stated that the damage to UVU outweighs the damage to the WAC. Suggesting that the WAC is simply seeking the $1 million exit fee from UVU does not exceed the damage done to UVU stating; “Irreparable harm exists when a party’s injury cannot be remedied by monetary damages or other legal relief, even if that party ultimately prevails on the merits.”
While opening arguments made by the WAC’s legal team largely focused on the jurisdiction of this case, none of those arguments were addressed by the court in its granting of the TRO. Marking an important win for UVU. Those opening arguments focused on the fact that the first lawsuit filed in this dispute between the two party’s was filed in Tarrant County, Texas. This led to claims by the WAC’s representation that suggested Utah’s Fourth District Court had no jurisdiction to rule on the matter until the first claim had been resolved. These arguments may resurface in the preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for Friday.
Continue to tune into Brice & Bianucci from 7-10am on 103.9 & 98.3 ESPN The Fan for the latest updates on this story.
