The Phoenix Suns are being sued by a former employee for racial discrimination and unlawful retaliation that allegedly led to their termination. Andrea Trischan, the former manager of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) of the Suns, also claims in the suit that financial and sexual misconduct also occurred during her tenure with the Suns.
Trischan worked with the Suns from September 2022 to July 2023, and her lawyer, Sheree Wright claims that she gathered substantial evidence of wrongdoing during her 10 months with the organization to feel confident enough to file this lawsuit while seeking damages worth $60 million.
“Andrea’s case is built on substantial evidence that establishes a clear and undeniable pattern of discrimination within the Suns organization.”
Interestingly, Trischan’s hiring occurred only after disgraced former owner Robert Sarver was suspended by the NBA for workplace misconduct. Sarver would eventually sell the team to Mat Ishbia later that year, who now serves as the owner of the franchise.
The move to file a lawsuit wasn’t Trischan’s first idea. She tried filing a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, along with the civil rights division of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. However, her case was dismissed on 5th November.
The Suns’ organization has used this fact to discredit Trischan and her claims. Suns’ Senior VP of Communications, Stacey Mitch said in a statement that Trischan is seeking damages for falsely made claims, and believes the court will come to the same decision as the Attorney General’s office.
“Ms. Trischan’s case was dismissed by the Arizona Attorney General’s office earlier this week. 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.”
In response to this statement from Mitch and the Suns, Wright’s lawyer responded by saying that Trischan is seeking punitive damages in the court of law, rather than working with some sort of appellate body, and will be forthcoming about her experience in front of a jury.
“[Ms. Trischan will go to 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,”
This matter could lead to a long, drawn-out legal battle for the Suns organization. Given that this matter occurred mostly before Mat Ishbia’s purchase of the Suns was completed and formalized, there is a very good chance that he will look to settle this matter out of court rather than go to trial.
Legal proceedings can be very expensive.
And while an organization like the Suns will have far more financial resources compared to Trischan, the amount of damning and incriminating evidence that could come to light through trial proceedings might be too much of a PR headache for a team that is still recovering from the distasteful actions of their former owner.
