Monta Ellis Sued for Sexual Harassment by Former Warriors Employee
Golden State Warriors shooting guard Monta Ellis is being sued by a former team employee for sexual harassment.
Per an Associated Press report, a woman named Erika Ross Smith is claiming that Ellis sent her suggestive text messages and at least one photo of his genitalia, which was presented by her lawyer at a Wednesday news conference. The harassment allegedly started in November of 2010 and continued for several months.
Smith's lawsuit also names the team itself.
The texts Ellis sent Smith included advances such as "I want to be with you," and "Hey Sexy," according to Smith's lawsuit.
Burton Boltuch, Smith's attorney, claims that his client rejected Ellis' advances. The Warriors responded to the incident by changing her job description and ultimately firing her after Ellis' wife found out about his activities and complained to the team. Smith had been the team's director of community relations.
According to a report from the Bay Area News Group, Smith is accusing the Warriors' owners and general manager of protecting their star player and of sweeping the situation "under the rug." As a result of her firing, she is seeking unspecified damages for claims of retaliation, wrongful termination and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
"On a micro level, my client has endured unwanted harassment, has suffered and continues to suffer emotional distress and trauma," said Boltuch. "On a macro level, this type of conduct, especially in the sports world, must stop."
Neither the Warriors nor Ellis' agent had anything to say immediately following the news conference.
Update: Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 6:10 p.m. ET
Warriors President & Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts issued a statement on behalf of the team on Wednesday afternoon.
"The Golden State Warriors take seriously any allegations of harassment. Let me make this extremely clear: The Warriors strive every day to provide a comfortable and professional work environment for all of our employees.
When our new owners arrived in November 2010, we set a path for the organization to be the best in the NBA and an organization we are proud of. We are committed to achieving that goal and we work daily to ensure it happens.
When we were made aware of a consensual relationship between Mr. Ellis and the Plaintiff, we did what an organization should do. We told both to stop – promptly, directly and fairly. The Warriors have never taken any action against the Plaintiff for any inappropriate reason, and we deny the allegations she is making.
We live in a litigious society in which lawsuits too frequently are driven by money and not the pursuit of justice. We will vigorously defend the reputation of the Warriors organization in the courts. We don’t plan to make any further comment about the details of the case.
"
The key phrase in all this would be "consensual relationship," a tell-tale sign of how the Warriors plan to debunk Smith's accusations.
Stay tuned for more developments regarding this story.
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