A Lane County Circuit Court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the University of Oregon against former defensive back Dakoda Fields over an unpaid balance tied to a settlement agreement.
The university sued Fields in May after he failed to pay an agreed-upon $29,882 in exchange for a release from liability related to an “underlying dispute.” According to court documents, the amount represented a discounted settlement that Fields failed to pay by the April 20 deadline.
After Fields did not make the payment, the university sued for the full amount of $39,882, plus attorney fees.
According to a dismissal notice filed May 27, Fields paid the remaining outstanding balance as well as estimated attorney fees incurred by the university.
A circuit court judge signed the dismissal June 1, and the case was officially closed June 3.
Fields, a former four-star recruit, redshirted with the Ducks in September 2024 as a true freshman before appearing in Oregon’s first three games of the 2025 season. He later transferred to the University of Oklahoma.
Fields’ intent to enter the transfer portal became public Nov. 5, 2025, and he committed to Oklahoma on Jan. 5.
“He didn’t come to work today,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said during a Nov. 5 press conference regarding Fields’ transfer. “We haven’t talked to Dakoda. So I guess that’s just the way it goes nowadays.”
The public dispute appears to be a first for the university in the NIL era, though several high-profile cases involving transfer portal movement have emerged in recent months. Those include disputes involving Brendan Sorsby and the University of Cincinnati, Darian Mensah and Duke University, and Demond Williams Jr., after the University of Washington reportedly threatened legal action when Williams announced plans to enter the transfer portal days after signing a deal reportedly worth about $4 million.
Unlike several recent NIL disputes involving transfer portal movement and multimillion-dollar agreements, Oregon’s complaint centered on enforcement of an alleged settlement agreement rather than an attempt to block Fields’ transfer.
