National Basketball Association (“NBA”) security official, Kelley Hardwick, has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against Geno Auriemma, head coach for the United States women’s basketball team. The suit, filed in a Manhattan State Supreme Court last Friday, also named the NBA and USA Basketball as defendants.
In the complaint, Hardwick alleges she was removed as the team’s security official after Auriemma attempted to grab her and kiss her. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the incident took place in a hotel in Yekaterinburg in October 2009. Hardwick alleges that as she was entering her hotel room, Auriemma approached her from behind, took hold of her left arm, and, as she turned, he forcibly tried to kiss her on her mouth.
Following this incident, as the suit alleges, Auriemma demanded that Hardwick be removed from her position as head security official for the women’s squad at the Olympics in 2012.
Despite whether the allegations are true or not, Hardwick’s departure as the head security official is discomforting, considering she worked as a security official for the team in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Discrimination in the workforce is not something to take lightly.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of workforce discrimination, contact the attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.