DALLAS (AP) — Former Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson sued the team Thursday, alleging that team owner Mark Cuban fired him in retaliation for reporting sexual misconduct by a team executive.
In a court document filed in a Dallas County court, Nelson said his relationship with Cuban soured after he called for action against a team executive who is a close Cuban aide for sexually harassing a job applicant. Unbeknownst to Nelson, the lawsuit said, Cuban had reached a confidential settlement with the applicant.
The deterioration of his relationship with Cuban, which Nelson said had previously been close, climaxed with his firing, the lawsuit alleged.
When Nelson complained to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of illegal retaliation, Cuban offered him $52 million to drop the complaint and enter into a non-disclosure agreement, the lawsuit alleged.
Nelson also accused Cuban of a pattern of covering up sexual misconduct claims.
“I filed this lawsuit on behalf of my family and all the Mavericks employees who have experienced harassment, discrimination, or retaliation in the workplace,” Nelson said in a statement.
A message seeking comment from the Mavericks was not immediately returned. Cuban denied the allegations to ESPN, saying: “Everything in that filing is a lie. We did multiple complete investigations and the only person that did not live up to the standards of the Dallas Mavericks was Mr. Nelson. He was fired as a result.”
In 2018, the NBA reviewed 2011 allegations of sexual assault against Cuban and the investigation that led to a decision by prosecutors not to pursue the case. Commissioner Adam Silver chose not to suspend Cuban after finding that he was not directly implicated in the misconduct toward women within his organization.
Cuban also agreed to contribute $10 million to help further the cause of women in sports and raise awareness about domestic violence after an investigation substantiated numerous incidents of sexual harassment and improper workplace conduct within the franchise going back more than 20 years.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
