There seems to be little movement in the legal action Bakersfield College took against the football sanctions.
Leading the case for the college and the district is Christine Maloney of Foster Employment Law. It is unclear the bases of the lawsuit but the sanctions allegedly violate the CCCAA’s own bylaws, which state that it can only impose one year of probation.
When asking Athletic Director Sandi Taylor if the school had any updates of the legal process she replied, “No updates as of now.”
When researching the Sacramento County Superior Court public records, one document was found pertaining to the case. The document we were able to locate dated Sept. 14, 2013 was handed to the courts by Maloney, who represents BC on the case, in which she stated, “… Bakersfield College was denied fair notice and an opportunity for a hearing before an impartial decision maker.” She also states, “Bakersfield College has been found guilty of rule violations and given a four-year course of punishments without any meaningful opportunity to challenge the adjudication of guilt or penalties and sanctions.”
Another concern with BC’s punishment was that it was imposed the punishment, yet according CCCAA’s rules, only the conference commissioners and the athletic association’s board have the power to strip football championships.
When contacting Maloney’s office about the case, the person who answered the phone did not give a statement. It was reported the school was paying upwards of $50,000 on attorney fees.
On May 14, 2013 BC was stripped of all wins from 2011-2012, which included the CCCAA state championship football title. BC was also placed on probation for the 2013 and 2014 seasons as well as a postseason ban for the 2013 season.
The sanctions were appealed multiple times throughout the year and on Aug. 30, 2013, BC was informed that Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Allen Sumner denied the college’s third-round appeal of sanctions.
A third denied appeal meant legal actions could be taken.
On Sept. 13, 2013 papers were served to CCCAA and the Southern California Football Association.
Upon the schools request, CCCAA has failed to show evidence supporting the penalties and written and filed sanctions decisions.