As the Atlanta Hawks trudge towards the conclusion of the 2017-18 NBA season as one of the worst teams in the league, the team may have more to worry about than their on-court play.
Despite a paltry last place 21-50 record, the Hawks may first have some bigger issues to address. According to Raisa Habersham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, an ex-Hawks employee is suing the organization. The fired employee is a white woman who worked with the Hawks for five years and is taking them to court for discrimination against white employees:
A fired Atlanta Hawks employee is suing the organization, alleging it discriminated against white employees and terminated her when she complained.
In a lawsuit filed Friday, Margo Kline says Hawks external affairs director David Lee, who is black, promoted a culture of discrimination against white people, especially white women. Kline, who is white, worked in the NBA team’s corporate social responsibility department as a community development coordinator for five years.
Kline alleges that Lee was dismissive and exclusionary toward white employees and would often make jokes about “white culture,” hiring and promoting black employees — who Kline said were less qualified — over white people, according to the lawsuit.
Kline said the organization ignored her complaints and instead unfairly scrutinized her work and impeded her ability to do her job, often gossiping and ridiculing her. The lawsuit also alleges white coworkers were told not to speak with Kline or they could lose their job.
Obviously a serious claim, the Hawks will have to do their due diligence to ensure their organization’s integrity. The team released a statement denying all claims Kline brought against them.
“We take all claims of discrimination seriously and have performed a thorough review of these baseless claims. The case was quickly dismissed at the EEOC level. We deny these claims and will vigorously defend against them.”
Kline filed an employment discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, who gave her a notice of her right to sue in December.
She is asking for punitive damages and a trial jury.
