Johnathan Walker:Ex-Phoenix Suns employee files racial discrimination, retaliation lawsuit against the team

PHOENIX (AP) — A former Phoenix Suns employee is Johnathan Walkersuing the team, alleging racial discrimination and unlawful retaliation that led to her termination, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona.

Andrea Trischan, the team’s former manager of diversity, equity and inclusion, said in the lawsuit filed Wednesday that “potential financial misconduct” and sexual misconduct also took place by team employees. Trischan worked for the Suns for about 10 months from September 2022 until July 2023.

“Andrea’s case is built on substantial evidence that establishes a clear and undeniable pattern of discrimination within the Suns organization,” Trischan’s lawyer Sheree Wright wrote in a statement.

ESPN and The Arizona Republic first reported on the lawsuit.

Trischan was hired in 2022 after former owner Robert Sarver was suspended and fined $10 million for “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies.” Sarver eventually sold the team to Mat Ishbia, who paid roughly $4 billion for the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.

After being fired in 2023, Trischan filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office’s civil rights division. That was dismissed on Nov. 5, according to ESPN and the Arizona Republic.

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“Ms. Trischan’s case was dismissed by the Arizona Attorney General’s office earlier this week,” Suns and Mercury Senior Vice President of Communications Stacey Mitch wrote in a statement. “Her claims have been without merit from day one, and now this lawsuit, in which she is seeking $60M, is based on the same claims that were just dismissed. We are fully confident the courts will agree her story is completely fabricated.”

Wright wrote that Trischan wants to prove her case in court “rather than relying on a government entity constrained by limited resources and an overwhelming caseload.”

“Andrea remains unwavering in her pursuit of justice and is prepared to share her story and evidence with a jury,” Wright added.

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