Photo courtesy WFAA
DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been accused by a former American Airlines Center employee of racial discrimination and sweeping a “threat of violence against African Americans” under the rug.
Michelle Newsome and her attorney spoke with WBAP Thursday morning, announcing that they have filed a request for a deposition against Cuban. Newsome says she was fired without cause based on race and sex, despite being a successful sales executive. Newsome said she was consistently harassed by co-workers for being a black woman, referencing a time she was told she was only hired because of affirmative action.
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Later, she was told by a fellow American Airlines Center employee that he found a noose in an IT closet near Cuban’s suite in February of 2011. In a sworn affidavit, that employee claims he reported it to a supervisor, and that Cuban himself removed the noose, threw it away, and did not apologize or send a company-wide message about the incident. The employee also said the room was sanitized the next day, something he described as “not a common occurance.”
“I felt like Cuban wanted to shut down and chill any discussion of this incident,” the employee said in the affidavit.
The affidavit claims that an employee of a long-time contractor that worked with the Dallas Mavericks and American Airlines Center admitted to placing the noose in the closet. Nate Rutkowski, according to the affidavit, continued to work at the AAC in the same proximity as the employee, despite alerting human resources about the incident.
Newsome said she felt empowered to come forward because of the women who have spoken out in the last several weeks about how they feel Cuban knew about the reported “animal house” culture in the Mavs workplace.
Her attorney said they are not suing Cuban, but rather demanding answers to why he did not act upon finding the noose. According to court documents, attorneys for the Dallas Mavericks responded by calling the claims “baseless” and saying they would “respond with appropriate legal measures” if they continue to be pursued.
Cuban has been the center of criticism in recent weeks, dating back to a February Sports Illustrated investigation that highlighted an “Animal House” work environment in the Dallas Mavericks business offices. The team hired a new CEO, Cynthia Marshall, to help clean up what was considered a toxic environment.
Cuban said he was not aware of the allegations and was shocked and embarrassed to learn about them. He hired an independent investigating firm to look into the team’s workplace culture.
Stay with WBAP and KLIF as we continue to learn more about this developing story.
