A current employee of the Phoenix Suns has filed a lawsuit against the team, alleging discrimination, harassment based on race, and illegal retaliation.
The lawsuit was submitted on Tuesday by Gene Trailer’s attorney in the U.S. District Court of Arizona, as reported by the Associated Press.
Trailer joined the Suns in January 2023 in the role of director of safety, security, and risk management.
He asserts that after delivering a security presentation to management that year, he faced retaliation from various members of the organization and was ultimately demoted.
ESPN first reported the filing of this lawsuit.
The Suns acknowledged that Trailer remains employed by the team.
Additionally, the lawsuit claims that the organization failed security tests at several arenas.
Tests conducted by the Phoenix Police Department’s Home Defense Bureau in 2023 and 2024 allegedly revealed that officials could smuggle weapons into the arena.
Shelley Wright, one of Trailer’s lawyers, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Stacey Mitch, the senior vice president of the Suns, countered by stating, “Wright and her clients have made unreasonable accusations of fraud concerning the Phoenix Suns security department. These allegations are paranoid and simply wrong.”
This lawsuit adds to the legal challenges faced by the Suns; in November, another former employee, Andrea Trischan, also sued the team, claiming racism and illegal retaliation leading to her dismissal after serving as the manager of diversity, equity, and inclusion for roughly ten months in 2022 and 2023.
