The wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former Dallas Mavericks general manager against the team is set to go to trial on December 10, as per court documents. The lawsuit, initiated in March 2022, alleges that the general manager was terminated in retaliation after reporting an incident of alleged sexual harassment and assault involving the owner's associate and the general manager's nephew during the 2020 All-Star Weekend in Chicago.
In the complaint, it is stated that the general manager was unaware of the incident until later that summer and claims that the team settled the nephew's claims swiftly and discreetly to suppress the allegations. The general manager reported the incident to the team owner during contract negotiations, which subsequently led to the termination of his employment in June 2021.
The team denies the wrongful termination allegations and asserts that the general manager threatened to disclose personal information about the owner's associate if his contract demands were not met. The team states that they promptly reported the allegations to the NBA and conducted an internal investigation, which was concluded to the satisfaction of the nephew.
According to court filings, the team cited various reasons for the termination, including poor job performance. The trial is pending a ruling on whether to extend a temporary seal on employee depositions, scheduled for February 26.
