UCLA Baseball Team Locked Out of Stadium Due to Federal Court Ruling

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) baseball program has been barred from using Jackie Robinson Stadium and an adjacent practice field, effectively locking them out of their home stadium. This action was taken by a federal judge who deemed the school’s lease agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to be in violation of its primary purpose: serving veterans.

Judge David O. Carter issued the ruling late Wednesday, compelling UCLA to develop a plan that prioritizes veterans’ services at the 10-acre (4-hectare) facility leased from the VA.

The Los Angeles Times reported that UCLA Chancellor Darnell Hunt attended a hearing where the school’s lawyer, Ray Cardozo, presented a proposal to increase services for veterans. Cardozo argued, “It’s more than a lease, it’s a partnership. It’s a good trade-off from our perspective.”

However, Carter declared the proposal inadequate and instructed the VA to seal off the stadium and practice field until further notice from the court.

This decision follows a four-week trial concluding earlier this month, during which Carter determined the UCLA lease to be illegal because it did not prioritize veterans’ services.

The Times further reported that Carter, under a slightly different legal standard, also deemed leases for the nearby Brentwood School, an oil drilling operation, and two parking lots to be invalid for the same reason.

The class-action lawsuit alleged that the VA had neglected to provide sufficient housing for veterans and that its leases on its 388-acre (157-hectare) campus in West LA violated an 1888 deed stipulating the “permanent maintenance” of a home for disabled soldiers.

Carter previously ordered the VA to provide 750 temporary housing units and 1,800 permanent housing units on the campus, in addition to the 1,200 to 1,600 units planned in connection with a previous lawsuit.