bigrus

Arizona attorney general closes investigation into former Suns employee

Harry November 13, 2024

SALT LAKE CITY – Old Phoenix Suns Charges filed by employee Andrea Trischan against the franchise with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office’s civil rights division were dismissed.

Trischan filed a discrimination and wrongful termination complaint He wants $60 million against the Suns. She was the team’s diversity, equity and inclusion program manager.

“We are pleased that the ACRD has denied Andrea Trischan’s accusation,” Stacey Mitch, senior vice president of communications for the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, said in a statement released Tuesday. “As we have said from the beginning, their allegations were unfounded.”

Trischan’s attorney, Sheree Wright, said they intend to appeal the attorney general’s decision and confirmed plans to file a lawsuit this week in federal court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

“It was inevitable that we would file a lawsuit anyway,” Trischan said. “That doesn’t make any sense. That doesn’t matter at all. That’s probably better in front of a jury trial where the jury is diverse and the pool is diverse.”

Wright also said he represented two other clients who filed discrimination complaints against the Suns and was aware that at least one complaint was handled by another attorney.

“There are numerous complaints with the same common theme emerging,” Wright said.

The Civil Rights Division division closed Trischan’s indictment on November 5 with the following conclusion:

“Based on its review, the Human Rights Division has concluded that the information obtained is not sufficient to establish a violation of the law/statutes. This does not certify that the defendant is in compliance with the law/statutes. There is no finding of any other matter that may have been raised by this charge/complaint.” “In this regard, this notification regarding the right of the accusing party to object is also included.”

Wright released a statement about the Civil Rights Division’s conclusion.

“The attorney general did not have sufficient evidence to determine that the Suns engaged in discriminatory conduct,” Wright said. “This does not mean that the case has no merit. This is a lack of evidence.”

Wright said Trischan “has been unrepresented for a long time” due to his grievances with the Suns. Trischan filed a complaint with the EEOC and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in November 2023, but did not retain representation until July 2024.

Trischan held an emotional press conference outside the Footprint Center in late September, saying the franchise attacked his character and continued to allow “toxic” behavior within the organization.

“Last year was a rollercoaster of emotions,” said Trischan, standing next to Wright. “Last year the Phoenix Suns and Mercury had the opportunity to drag my name through the mud, assassinate my character, and stand by the negative, toxic, racist, sexist, misogynistic behavior that still exists despite Robert Sarver having to sell his team.”

This was after the Suns released a statement saying his accusations were “ridiculous.”

Trischan was released in September 2022, a few days after the NBA suspended Sarver and fined the then-Suns team owner $10 million for “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies” found in a 10-month NBA investigation into his 18-year tenure as team owner. Then he was hired.

Trischan’s position is less than 10 months away.

“My client is neither a gold digger nor the ‘angry black woman’ stereotype who can’t get her job done despite the misleading narrative the Suns organization wants to promote,” Wright said in September. “The truth is just the opposite.

“He is a highly competent and educated professional with a strong work ethic and deep-rooted family values. The discrimination he experienced within the organization was not only real, but pervasive.”

Any thoughts on the Suns’ current situation? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at: [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter): @DuaneRankin

Support local journalism. Start your online subscription.