Dive Brief:
- Two former Golden State Warriors employees alleged the organization engaged in age, sex and gender-based discrimination, harassment and retaliation, according to a lawsuit filed Aug. 25 in San Francisco County Superior Court.
- The workers, both of whom are women over the age of 40, said they “encountered a workplace marked by discrimination, hostility, and retaliation,” one where “women of color, women with disabilities, and women with larger body types were subjected to consistent harassment.”
- The allegations, detailed below, highlight the ways offhand remarks, jokes and actions related to protected characteristics can potentially send employers into legally dicey territory.
Dive Insight:
The workers said the Golden State Warriors violated California labor code as well as the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, which prohibits harassment or discrimination in employment because of age, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation, among other protected characteristics.
Both workers said they — and others who raised concerns about the people operations and legal departments’ leadership — were terminated within six months of a 2025 league-wide employee satisfaction survey administered by the National Basketball Association.
“Although they held senior positions in different departments, their experiences became intertwined when each raised concerns about GSW practices they reasonably believed were unlawful and sought to hold GSW accountable to its own policies and procedures,” per the complaint. “Rather than addressing the concerns reflected in the survey, GSW leadership sought to identify employees who had provided critical responses, setting in motion the events that ultimately connected Plaintiffs’ complaints and the retaliation alleged herein.”
Throughout the complaint, the workers alleged a culture of age- and gender-based discrimination.
In one instance, one of the plaintiffs, the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, said she was prompted to share her Zodiac sign and her birth year during a team meeting, “subjecting her to laughter regarding her being over the age 40.”
In another instance, the same plaintiff was allegedly directed to arrange executives based on how old they looked during a retreat.
The plaintiffs alleged that their sex, gender and age were “substantial motivating reasons” for the organization’s “denial of advancement and professional opportunities, disparate application of workplace standards, marginalization and exclusion from responsibilities and decision-making, heightened scrutiny and criticism, undermining of their authority, and ultimately the termination of their employment.”
The workers said they have “suffered and continue to suffer humiliation, emotional distress, embarrassment, and mental and physical pain and anguish” as a result of their employment with the organization.
In an emailed statement, the Golden State Warriors said the organization “prides itself on its commitment to maintaining an inclusive environment grounded in mutual respect and professionalism.”
“We take all workplace concerns seriously. The lawsuit filed by two former employees contains allegations that are false, misleading, and unsupported by credible evidence. Many of the allegations have been previously reviewed or investigated and found to be without merit,” the organization said. “Golden State intends to vigorously defend against these baseless claims and is confident that an examination of the facts will confirm that Golden State, its leadership, and the employees targeted in this lawsuit have at all times operated with the highest levels of integrity and fairness.”