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The Phoenix Suns have been hit with another employee lawsuit alleging workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
Current employee Gene Traylor, Director of Safety, Security, & Risk Management at the Suns, filed a complaint that also accuses his employer of discouraging him from taking protected leave following a cancer diagnosis.
It is the fourth lawsuit filed against the Suns in seven months to detail claims of misconduct.
The franchise strenuously denied the accusations in the latest complaint, calling them “absurd.”
Suns & suits: Fourth employee files discrimination complaint
As reported by ESPN, a complaint was filed with the US District Court of Arizona last Tuesday.
Traylor, who joined the Suns in 2023, claimed he suffered retaliation after fulfilling his duty to identify safety, financial, and reputational risks.
After monitoring such issues, including a former part-time worker who stole over $40,000 of merchandise during their tenure, Traylor presented his findings to senior management, the complaint said.
The lawsuit also claimed that during Traylor’s employment, the Suns failed several arena security tests, with plainclothes officers of the Phoenix Police Department’s Homeland Defense Bureau able to smuggle weapons into the venue.
According to ESPN, three separate sources confirmed the Suns have failed further arena tests.
However, a spokesperson for the Suns said it has never failed such an audit, insisting the organization uses “proactive measures” to ensure it is “operating at the highest level of safety and preparedness.”
Traylor’s complaint alleged that Suns' management retaliated against him for his attempts to raise risk and security concerns, demoting him from his role.
The safety director filed his complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Arizona Attorney General's office's civil rights division, seeking undisclosed damages.
Suns decry ‘delusional and categorically false’ allegations
The Suns denied the allegations detailed in Traylor’s complaint, criticizing one of his legal representatives, Sheree Wright. Alongside fellow attorney Cortney Walters, Wright has represented other current and former Suns staff in discrimination lawsuits against their employer.
“The Supreme Court of Arizona has twice disciplined attorney Sheree Wright for committing numerous violations of the rules of professional conduct and she is currently serving a two-year probation with the State Bar of Arizona,” a Suns spokeswoman told ESPN.
“This time, Ms. Wright and her client have made absurd accusations of misconduct surrounding the security department of the Phoenix Suns,” she continued. “These allegations are delusional and categorically false.”
Wright and Walters responded to ESPN, stating that the Suns have “resorted to personal and defamatory attacks” in a “transparent and calculated attempt to shift the public narrative, discredit the attorneys involved, and avoid accountability for their own misconduct.”
It follows three other recent lawsuits from former employees alleging discrimination, all filed in the US District Court in Arizona.
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In November 2024, former diversity, equity, and inclusion manager Andrea Trischan sued the Suns for $60million, alleging harassment, racial discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination; in March 2025, a former member of the Suns’ animation team, Jason Cope, filed a lawsuit accusing the franchise of age discrimination, relating to his classification as an independent contractor; and in April 2025, an anonymous former employee sued the Suns over alleged sexual harassment, racial and gender discrimination, and retaliation by a (now former) Suns exec.
“The common denominator is Sheree Wright. She is trying to extort the Suns organization,” the Suns’ spokeswoman said of the latest complaint. “Ms. Wright continues to recruit former and now current employees and is manipulating them to file meritless lawsuits.”
Wright and Walters insisted the lawsuits were not based on “vague accusations” but were “specific, detailed, and backed by witnesses, documentation, and corroborating evidence.”
We’re ‘proud’ of new culture – Suns spokesperson
The organization has worked to revamp its culture after investigations by ESPN and the NBA in 2021 identified multiple instances of alleged misconduct by former Suns owner Robert Sarver and other top executives at the franchise.
In September 2022, the NBA fined Sarver $10million, suspended him for one year, and required the Suns to meet strict workplace standards and requirements for a subsequent three-year period, including reporting allegations of “significant misconduct by any employee.” Sarver subsequently sold the Suns.
“There were significant challenges with the culture under the previous ownership," the Suns’ spokesperson acknowledged. “We're very proud of the work we've done to create a new culture under the leadership of Mat Ishbia.”
Ishbia, the Suns’ new majority owner, told his workforce in 2023: “I want to make this the best place to work. I want to get great people to join. I want to train them and coach them to be the best version of themselves and treat them so well that they don't ever want to leave.”
“It's all about people. People is everything. That's the most important thing,” he added. “Without great people, without people that care, you've got nothing. So we're going to start with culture and team."
The Suns spokesperson claimed the organization is in “full compliance.”
