West Coast Conference files lawsuit against Grand Canyon for breach of contract

The lawsuit is a result of GCU’s ‘refusal to satisfy and then deny its financial obligation’ to the conference

West Coast Conference (WCC). / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The West Coast Conference filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Grand Canyon University on Wednesday. 

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, results from GCU’s “refusal to satisfy and then deny its financial obligation” to the conference regarding both entrance and withdrawal fees, each due within 30 days of its withdrawal notice. GCU accepted an invite to join the Mountain West Conference on Nov. 1, roughly six months after the school announced it would join the WCC by the 2025-26 season. 

According to a statement from the WCC, the Phoenix-based institution has indicated to the league that it does not intend to pay the remainder of its entrance fee or the withdrawal fee. GCU satisfied its first payment that was required as part of the terms of the agreement signed by Brian E. Mueller, who serves simultaneously as the president of Grand Canyon University and chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. However the school doesn’t plan on paying the remainder of its exit fee.

“The purpose of a legal contract is to put the force of law behind agreements between parties,” WCC commissioner Stu Jackson said. “We have a fully executed legally binding agreement between the West Coast Conference and Grand Canyon University that outlines its financial terms and obligations. By redefining their position, Grand Canyon University attempts to avoid their obligations in the contract.”

Last month, the Antelopes announced they’re joining the Mountain West no later than July 1, 2026. The school will try as early as the second quarter of 2025 if permitted by the conference's bylaws. The Mountain West began courting GCU after five of the league’s members — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State — announced earlier this year that they’re joining the Pac-12 in 2026. 

League commissioner Gloria Nevarez, formerly of the WCC, has added four new members to the Mountain West, which just announced UC Davis will be joining as a non-football member starting in 2026. UC Davis joins UTEP, Hawaii — which was already a football-only member — and Grand Canyon, which doesn't sponsor football. The Mountain West will include Grand Canyon, Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP, and Wyoming starting in 2026.

The WCC’s basketball brand took a hit when Gonzaga announced it was joining the new-look Pac-12 in all Olympic sports starting in 2026. With the Zags and Antelopes out, as well as Washington State and Oregon State once the Pac-12 forms, the WCC is looking at nine members by the start of the 2026-27 season: Saint Mary’s, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Pacific, San Diego, Portland and Seattle U. 

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