PHOENIX (AP) — A former Phoenix Suns employee is suing the team, alleging racial discrimination and illegal retaliation that led to her firing, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona.

Andrea Trischan, the team’s former diversity, equity and inclusion manager, said in the lawsuit filed Wednesday that “potential financial misconduct” and sexual misconduct also occurred by team employees. Trischan worked for the Suns for approximately 10 months from September 2022 to July 2023.

“Andrea’s case is built on substantial evidence establishing a clear and indisputable pattern of discrimination within the Suns organization,” Trischan’s attorney, Sheree Wright, wrote in a statement.

ESPN and The Arizona Republic first reported on the lawsuit.

Trischan was hired in 2022 by former owner Robert Sarver he was suspended and fined $10 million for “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies.” Sarver eventually sold the team to Mat Ishbia, which paid about $4 billion for the Suns and Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA.

After being fired in 2023, Trischan filed a complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Civil Rights Division of the Arizona Attorney General’s office. It was rejected on Nov. 5, according to ESPN and the Arizona Republic.

“Ms. Trischan’s case was dismissed by the Arizona Attorney General’s office earlier this week,” Suns and Mercury senior vice president of communications Stacey Mitch wrote in a statement. “Her claims were without merit from the first day, and now this lawsuit, in which she is seeking $60 million, is based on the same claims that were just dismissed. We are fully confident that the courts will agree that her story is completely fabricated.”

Wright wrote that Trischan wants to prove her case in court “rather than relying on a government entity constrained by limited resources and an overwhelming caseload.”

“Andrea remains steadfast in her pursuit of justice and is prepared to share her story and evidence with a jury,” added Wright.

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