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Baxter Holmes, ESPN senior author
THE Los Angeles Clippers say a former energy and conditioning coach demanded tens of millions of {dollars} from the group earlier than submitting a wrongful termination lawsuit in October and submitting tampering claims involving Kawhi Leonardbased on a courtroom submitting obtained by ESPN.
After refusing to pay Randy Shelton, who was fired by the group final summer time, he continued the Clippers and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, saying he was punished for expressing considerations about Leonard’s harm administration.
Within the submitting Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court docket, the Clippers requested that the dispute be resolved via arbitration, per the phrases of the employment contract Shelton signed in November 2021.
After his dismissal in July 2023, the Clippers declare to have paid Shelton’s wage till his contract ends in June 2024.
“That ought to have been the tip of the matter,” the Clippers stated of their response. “However [Shelton] wrongly thought of himself a crusader and needed consideration. After cashing the Clippers’ last examine, he demanded that the Clippers pay him tens of millions of {dollars} for the imaginary wrongs claimed in his criticism. When the group refused, he filed a criticism.”
Shelton joined the Clippers efficiency group after serving in an analogous position at San Diego Statethe place he labored with Leonard earlier than the striker was chosen by the San Antonio Spurs throughout the 2011 NBA Draft.
In his lawsuit, Shelton alleged he was employed as a part of a year-long recruiting drive to lure Leonard and stated the Clippers “exceeded the bounds of the NBA structure” in considerations potential tampering violations. Shelton additionally alleged that the group’s “mishandling of Kawhi Leonard’s harm and return-to-play protocol has been gorgeous” and that the “disregard for his restoration course of is unacceptable.” Shelton stated the Clippers put extra emphasis on Leonard’s productiveness than his restoration.
Legal professionals representing the Clippers wrote that it was essential to “right the file” in opposition to Shelton’s claims, which included that the group offered “illegal remedy” to Leonard.
“[Shelton’s] the claims are frivolous: There was no ‘tampering’ earlier than the Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard,” the group’s response states. “The Clippers didn’t present ‘illegal remedy’ to Mr. Leonard. And [Shelton] was not interrupted in “retaliation” for something. The Court docket should not be fooled. »
Shelton stated his position on the group, after expressing considerations about how Leonard’s accidents have been being dealt with, was diminished, he was excluded from conferences and details about Leonard’s well being had been hidden from him.
“”[Randy Shelton’s] the claims are frivolous: There was no “tampering” earlier than the Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers didn’t inflict “illegal remedy” on Mr. Leonard. And [Shelton] was not interrupted in “retaliation” for something. The Court docket should not be fooled. »
Clippers response to lawsuit filed by former workers member
The Clippers say, in response, that Shelton failed to meet the duties of his position.
“[Shelton] took it upon himself to present recommendation to those that had not requested for it and which he was not certified to present,” the group stated. “For instance, he really helpful medical procedures, akin to proscribing blood movement, with out having any medical coaching, understanding the gamers’ situations, or consulting his supervisors or group medical doctors. His unauthorized conduct disrupted relationships between the gamers, their coaches and the group, and endangered the well being and well-being of the gamers. »
The Clippers stated Shelton admitted to “creating drama” by approaching gamers with out understanding their medical histories.
Whereas nonetheless being paid by the franchise, Shelton used his former affiliation with the group to start out a bodily remedy enterprise, the Clippers stated, including that he had no proper to proceed to be paid by them whereas charging others in his new enterprise. The Clippers contend Shelton owes them the 1000’s of {dollars} he obtained after his firing.
Anthony Nguyen, one of many attorneys representing Shelton, stated the Clippers have been making an attempt to cover their issues by submitting the matter to arbitration.
“By demanding that this dispute be resolved via arbitration, the Clippers are trying to comb underneath the rug the organizational points highlighted by our shopper by eradicating the matter from public view and inserting it in a discussion board that stops entry to everybody,” Nguyen stated. stated.
“We are going to in fact battle their try as a result of we imagine everybody ought to have entry to the problems uncovered on this case, and we discover it questionable that the Clippers, though they keep that our shopper’s claims are supposedly frivolous, wish to stop the general public from accessing this info within the litigation on this case,” he stated. “We imagine this matter shouldn’t be hidden from the general public or followers.”
