PHOENIX (AP) \u2014 Defiant Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia says he\u2019s not worried about the multiple lawsuits his franchise is facing, with claims ranging from discrimination to wrongful termination.<\/p>\n
Ishbia called the lawsuits a \u201cmoney grab\u201d on Wednesday at Suns media day.<\/p>\n
The franchise have been sued multiple times since 2024. Most recently, two minority owners of the Suns sued Ishbia<\/a> in August, demanding to see records in order to investigate the status of the team\u2019s business and financial condition.<\/p>\n \u201cAs you guys know, anyone can file a lawsuit on any day they want for any reason they want,\u201d Ishbia said. \u201cI could file a lawsuit for that question, right? But the truth is, you\u2019ve actually got to win a lawsuit.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere I\u2019m different than most successful people, or people that you say have a lot money, is we don\u2019t settle. So if we don\u2019t do anything wrong, I\u2019m not paying someone. If their threat is they\u2019re going to go to the media and write (about) a lawsuit, have fun. Cool. Write it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ishbia continued: \u201cI hope you guys all report on how many lawsuits we actually lose. Because we haven\u2019t lost one of them and we\u2019re not going to lose any of them, to be honest, because they\u2019re ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the lawsuits the team is facing:<\/p>\n In July, the Suns confirmed it fired Gene Traylor<\/a>, a former security manager who filed a lawsuit against the team in May alleging discrimination, harassment and unlawful retaliation. The team said at the time that Traylor was terminated after an outside investigation found he\u2019d violated company policies regarding confidential information.<\/p>\n Earlier in July, former Mercury interim coach Nikki Blue filed a lawsuit against the organization<\/a>, alleging unequal treatment based on race and gender, unequal pay based on race and that her employment was terminated in retaliation for complaints about unequal treatment.<\/p>\n In November, Andrea Trischan sued the team<\/a>, alleging racial discrimination and unlawful retaliation that led to her termination. Trischan was the team\u2019s former manager of diversity, equity and inclusion for about 10 months in 2022 and 2023.<\/p>\n Ishbia, a mortgage executive, bought a majority stake<\/a> of the Suns and Phoenix Mercury from embattled owner Robert Sarver for $4 billion<\/a>. Ishbia and his brother Justin said then that they would be acquiring more than 50% of the franchises, which includes the entirety of Sarver\u2019s share as well as some holdings from minority partners.<\/p>\n The sale was officially approved in February 2023.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower contributed to this report.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n