Sacramento Kings sued by former assistant athletic trainer over pregnancy discrimination, sex harassment claims
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A former assistant athletic trainer is suing the Sacramento Kings and their senior director of athlete health, alleging pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination.
Crystal Lee filed a 42-page lawsuit on Aug. 11 in Sacramento County Superior Court. The court documents also allege retaliation and failure to provide lactation accommodation, claiming the organization has a culture that doesn’t support working mothers.
An attorney for the Sacramento Kings said the Kings “categorically deny” the allegations and would “vigorously defend against these claims.”
See the lawyer’s full response further below.
What the lawsuit alleges:
The complaint says that Lee’s dream of becoming an NBA trainer came true when she joined the Sacramento Kings as an assistant athletic trainer in 2022.
According to the lawsuit, Lee was one of about 15 female athletic trainers in the NBA when she joined the Kings and became the first athletic trainer in league history to announce a pregnancy and give birth while employed by an NBA team.
She alleges that her supervisor, Senior Director of Athlete Health Jas Randhawa, laughed when she said she was pregnant, telling her, “You’re f—ed.”
The lawsuit alleges that Randhawa created a culture where there were no “days off” and that his team was expected to work around the clock.
According to the lawsuit, Lee said that by the end of her pregnancy she had been “benched” from road games. She alleges she was told a month before going on maternity leave that she would not be able to travel once she had a child.
She alleges that despite returning from leave in July 2023, three months before the official start of the season, she was never given the opportunity to return to athletic training duties.
Another assistant athletic trainer was hired and was sent in her place for road games, despite her request to travel, according to the lawsuit.
She alleges she was also blocked from seminars and the NBA combine, eventually demoted again to “performance administration,” and forbidden from treating any Kings players.
Randhawa allegedly told another staffer she had been sidelined because, “it’s the baby, bro.”
The lawsuit alleges she brought her concerns about being sidelined to three execs.
Vice President of Player Personnel Phil Jabour allegedly told her there was “no space” to be hands-on with the Kings.
General Manager Scott Perry allegedly told her that “complainers will not be tolerated.”
She then complained to Senior Vice President of Human Resources Stacy Wegzyn, who told her she would not face retaliation for “serious concerns,” according to the lawsuit. Lee says she was fired within less than a month of that complaint.
She also alleges she was forced to pump breast milk in the women’s locker room with little privacy and that the Kings did not allow her sufficient time to pump.
Another claim in the lawsuit is that the Kings ignored their own policy allowing new parents to bring their infant to work until they’re 6 months old or begin to crawl. She was told when her child was only 4 months old that he could not come, while men with infants of the same age did not get told that, according to the lawsuit.
Lawsuit details ‘harassment’ by Doug Christie
While then-assistant coach Doug Christie is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, Lee alleges that he “repeatedly harassed” her by checking her out.
“Don’t report me to HR,” Christie allegedly said after looking “up and down her figure,” according to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Lee said the reason for her termination was an alleged failure to meet performance expectations, which she disputes.
Attorney for the Sacramento Kings responds
“The Sacramento Kings categorically deny these allegations and reject the characterization of the organization and its workplace reflected in these claims made by a disgruntled former employee,” Alexis Gabrielson, a partner with Cook Brown, LLP, said in a statement. “The Kings take allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously and are committed to maintaining a workplace where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. The organization intends to vigorously defend against these claims through the legal process and will not comment further on the pending proceedings.”
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